Roman Bridges (General) - Ancient Rome Live

Video

by American Institute for Roman Culture
published on 30 January 2020

The Romans employed the arch in the construction of their bridges to span the Tiber River, approximately 100 m wide. The actual arches were composed of voussoir blocks typically faced in ashlar blocks (tuff, travertine) with a concrete rubble core.
The oldest bridge of Rome was the Pons Sublicius, constructed of wood (7th Century BCE), downstream from the Tiber Island. The oldest extant bridge is the Pons Fabricius (62 BCE), still in use, connecting the Tiber Island to the Campus Martius.

Other Roman bridges that still exist, although largely reconstructed through the ages, are the Pons Cestius, Pons Aelius (Ponte degli Angeli) and Pons Milvius.

The remains of some of the piers of the Pons Neronianus are visible in the water by the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele. The single arch of the Pons Aurelius (Ponte Rotto) is visible by the modern Ponte Palatino.

Find out more about bridges at https://ancientromelive.org/bridges-general/

This content is brought to you by The American Institute for Roman Culture (AIRC), a 501(C)3 US Non-Profit Organization.

Related Content

Filters:

All 

Definitions55

Articles32

Images2

Collections3

Teaching Materials8

Definition

Antipater (Macedonian General)

Antipater (c. 399-319 BCE) was a Macedonian statesman and loyal...

Definition

Roman Architecture

Roman architecture continued the legacy left by Greek architects...

Collection

Architecture in the Ancient World

One of the lasting contributions ancient cultures have made to...

Definition

Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of ancient trade routes, formally established...

Article

Trade in the Roman World

Regional, inter-regional and international trade was a common feature...

Definition

Estates-General of 1789

The Estates-General of 1789 was a meeting of the three estates...