Pons Aemilius
Encyclopedia
The Pons Aemilius 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-3rd century BC. 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 several occasions, the bridge was defunct by 1598, when its eastern half was carried away in a flood. The remaining half was demolished in the 1880s, leaving behind only one arch.
Roman bridge
Roman bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built. Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Preceded by a wooden version, it was rebuilt in stone in the 2nd century BC. It once spanned the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
, connecting the Forum Boarium
Forum Boarium
The Forum Boarium was the cattle forum venalium of Ancient Rome and the oldest forum that Rome possessed. It was located on a level piece of land near the Tiber between the Capitoline, the Palatine and Aventine hills. Here, too, is where the first bridges were built...
with Trastevere
Trastevere
Trastevere is rione XIII of Rome, on the west bank of the Tiber, south of Vatican City. Its name comes from the Latin trans Tiberim, meaning literally "beyond the Tiber". The correct pronunciation is "tras-TEH-ve-ray", with the accent on the second syllable. Its logo is a golden head of a lion on a...
; 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
Via Aurelia
The Via Aurelia was a Roman road in Italy constructed around the year 241 BC. The project was undertaken by C. Aurelius Cotta, who at that time was censor...
was constructed in the mid-3rd century BC. 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
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
completely restored the bridge with a tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
and concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
core.
Damaged and repaired on several occasions, the bridge was defunct by 1598, when its eastern half was carried away in a flood. The remaining half was demolished in the 1880s, leaving behind only one arch.