Pons Aemilius
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 22 " N , 12 ° 28 ′ 46" E
| Pons Aemilius (Ponte Rotto) |
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| Convicted | Via Aurelia , later Via Portuensis | |
| Crossing of | Tiber | |
| place | Rome ( Italy ) | |
| construction | Arch bridge with vaulted vaults | |
| Number of openings | Originally 7 | |
| completion | 142 BC BC (stone bridge) | |
| Status | Destroyed | |
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The Pons Aemilius ( Italian: Ponte Emilio ) is the oldest known stone bridge in Rome from 174 BC. And led across the river Tiber . Today only one arch remains from it, which is not connected to the bank and is no longer accessible. It therefore bears the name Ponte Rotto (Italian for "destroyed bridge") today . The bridge was the beginning of the Via Aurelia and later the Via Portuensis , which led to the port of Portus Romae at the mouth of the Tiber. The Cloaca Maxima flows into the Tiber a few meters below the bridge.
Building description
In its main phase, the bridge consisted of flat stone arches on six pillars . Five of the piers were in the river bed, one on the bank. The arched gussets are provided with reliefs, sculptures are placed over arched openings below the roadway.
Building history
The censors Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Marcus Fulvius Nobilior were responsible for the construction of the Pons Aemilius . In the first phase, only the bridge piers were made of stone (travertine), while the entire superstructure was made of wood. Almost 30 years later, 142 BC. BC, the bridge was also equipped with stone arches under the censors Scipio Aemilianus and Lucius Mummius . The vaulting technique with wedge stones had improved since the construction period. The bridge was first thoroughly restored in the 1st century AD. Responsible for the restoration was Augustus , who as Pontifex Maximus was also responsible for the maintenance of the bridges. At that time the bridge was renamed Pons Maximus because it was the largest bridge in Rome at the time.
The water pressure on the bridge increased in the post-ancient times: The flow speed of the Tiber had increased sharply due to the widening of the Tiber island and the resulting narrowing of the river bed. As a result, there was considerable wear and tear on the bridge. Several collapses were the result and, despite numerous attempts at restoration, the bridge was largely destroyed on December 24, 1598: a flood carried away two pillars and three arches. The consequence of this was that it could only be entered from the left bank. Since 1885 there is only a single arch in the middle of the river.
Today the Ponte Palatino runs directly next to the Pons Aemilius over the Tiber, from which the Ponte Rotto can best be viewed.
literature
- Christian Hülsen : Aemilius pons . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 593.
