Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Roman bridge
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
=== Wooden bridges === [[File:Il_ponte_di_Cesare_sul_Reno.jpg|thumb|left|[[Caesar's Rhine bridges|Caesar's Rhine Bridge]]]] Early Roman bridges were wooden, including one constructed by [[Apollodorus of Damascus|Apollodorus]] and the Pons Sublicius, the oldest bridge in ancient Rome, and they were probably common across northern Europe and the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian coast]];<ref name="ruddock" /> however, because of their lack of durability few have survived to the modern day.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Glick |first1=Thomas F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=77y2AgAAQBAJ&dq=Brick+bridges+Roman&pg=PA103 |title=Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia |last2=Livesey |first2=Steven |last3=Wallis |first3=Faith |date=2014-01-27 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-45932-1 |pages=103 |language=en}}</ref> These bridges were supported by wooden [[Trestle support|trestles]] spanned by horizontal timbers and reinforced with [[strut]]s, and they were possibly [[cantilever]]ed. In order to simplify the process of cutting trees, multiple shorter timbers were used.<ref name="whitney" /> Wooden poles were driven into the ground, and flat pieces of timber laid across them to create a flat surface.<ref name="mcgeough">{{Cite book |last=McGeough |first=Kevin M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKzvK5YbCJYC&dq=Construction+of+Roman+bridges&pg=PA213 |title=The Romans: An Introduction |date=2009-03-26 |publisher=OUP USA |isbn=978-0-19-537986-0 |pages=213 |language=en}}</ref> Other early techniques used to build wooden bridges involved [[barge]]s, sometimes they were [[moored]] side by side. Workmen would raise weights, sometimes by rope, then it would fall down onto the piles. This method of construction, called [[pile driving]], was necessary for wooden bridges to properly function. Because this technique created [[cofferdam]]s, which are enclosures build to pump water out of an area.<ref>Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Cofferdam|Cofferdam]]" . ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 649.</ref> The base for the foundation of the bridge would be put in this area.<ref name="ruddock" /> Cofferdams were constructed of many piles held together. It is possible the piles were interconnected, likely to improve positioning, [[Waterproofing|waterproofness]], or both. Cofferdams would have been sealed with packed clay.<ref name="ruddock" /> The cofferdams also needed to be consistently dry. In order to achieve this, engineers would use tools such as buckets to drain the water.<ref name="ruddock" /> Wooden bridges could be burned to stop an attacker, or dismantled quickly.<ref name="oleson" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Landart |first=Paula |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S-VxBAAAQBAJ&dq=Bridges+in+Ancient+Rome&pg=PA46 |title=Finding Ancient Rome: Walks in the city |date=5 December 2021 |publisher=Paula Landart |pages=45–46 |language=en}}</ref> For example, according to [[Livy]], during a battle against the [[Sabines]] the Romans set one of their wooden bridges on fire, driving the enemy back.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Livius |first=Titus |url=https://files.romanroadsstatic.com/materials/romans/historians/Livy_Early_History_Rome_1-0.pdf |title=Early History of Rome |pages=43}}</ref> Other early wooden bridges used [[post and lintel]] construction. [[File:Roman Pontoon Bridge, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Rome, Italy.jpg|thumb|Roman legionaries crossing the Danube River by [[pontoon bridge]], as depicted in a relief on the [[Column of Marcus Aurelius]]]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)