Pons Cestius
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The Pons Cestius (Italian: Ponte Cestio "Cestius' Bridge") is a stone bridge from the island to the right (west) bank of the Tiber. It was built around the first century BC (some time between 62 and 27 BC), after the pons Fabricius, which situates on the other side of island. Both the ponti Cestius and Fabricius were long-living bridges; however, whereas the Fabricius remains wholly intact, the Cestius was largely destroyed in the 19th century with only some of the ancient structure preserved.
The pons Cestius is the first bridge that reached the right bank of Tiber form the Tiber Island. While the island was long connected with the left bank of the Tiber, even before the pons Fabricius, the right bank (Transtiber) remained unconnected until the Cestius. Several prominent members of the Cestii clan from this period are known, but it is uncertain which built this bridge. [1]
In the fourth century the pons Cestius was rebuilt by the Emperors Valentinian I, Valens and Gratian and re-dedicated in 370 as the pons Gratiani. The bridge was rebuilt using tuff and peperino, with facing of travertine. Some of the rebuilding material came from the demolished porticus of the nearby Theatre of Marcellus.[2]
During the building of the walls along the river enbankment between the years 1888 and 1892, the bridge had to be demolished and rebuilt, as the western channel was widened from 48 to 76 meters. The ancient bridge, which had two small arches, was simply not long enough. A new bridge, with three large arches, was constructed in its stead, with its central arch reusing about two-thirds of the original material.
[edit] References
- ^ Samuel Ball Platner. Pons Cestius (from A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome).
- ^ Claridge, Amanda (1998). Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
- Colin O'Connor, Roman Bridges, Cambridge Univ. Press (1994) ISBN 0-521-39326-4
[edit] External links
- LacusCurtius: Pons Cestius
- Pons Cestius in the Structurae database
- The Waters of Rome: Tiber River Bridges and the Development of the Ancient City of Rome
- Tiber Island information (Italian)
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