Pons Aemilius
| Pons Aemilius | |
|---|---|
 Remaining arch of the Pons Aemilius located in midstream | |
| Official name | Ponte Rotto |
| Carries | Connection Forum Boarium-Trastevere |
| Crosses | Tiber |
| Locale | Rome, Italy |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | Stone |
| Number of spans | Originally 7 |
| Construction end | 142 BC (Stone bridge) |
The Pons Aemilius (Italian: Ponte Emilio), today called Ponte Rotto, is the oldest Roman stone bridge in Rome, Italy. Preceded by a wooden version, it was rebuilt in stone in the 2nd century BC. It once spanned the Tiber, connecting the Forum Boarium with Trastevere; a single arch in mid-river is all that remains today, lending the bridge its name Ponte rotto ("Broken bridge").
The oldest piers of the bridge were probably laid when the Via Aurelia was constructed in the mid-2nd century BC.[1] Initially constructed in 179 BC with stone piers and a wooden superstructure, the bridge was fitted in 142 BC with six wholly stone arches. In 12 BC, Augustus completely restored the bridge with a tuff and concrete core.
Damaged and repaired on seven occasions, the bridge was defunct by 1598, when its eastern half was carried away in a flood. The remaining half was demolished in the 1890s, leaving behind only one arch.
See also
- List of Roman bridges
- Roman architecture
- Roman engineering
References
- ↑ Claridge, Amanda (1998). Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
Sources
- O’Connor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, pp. 67f., ISBN 0-521-39326-4
External links
Media related to Ponte Rotto at Wikimedia Commons
- Pons Aemilius at Structurae
- The Waters of Rome: Tiber River Bridges and the Development of the Ancient City of Rome
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Coordinates: 41°53′22″N 12°28′46″E / 41.88944°N 12.47944°E