Roman Bridge of Corduba
About
Sixteen arches carried the Via Augusta across the Guadalquivir, tying Corduba into the road network of the whole province. Aulus Hirtius records a temporary wooden bridge built here by Caesar's forces during the civil war against Pompey's sons (49-45 BCE); the stone bridge that replaced it belongs to Augustus's reign, though the exact decade isn't fixed in the sources. Modern surveys show only two of today's sixteen arches are genuinely Roman fabric (the rest are medieval and later flood rebuilds), but the Augustan-era stone bridge itself had already stood for over a century by 117 CE.
What happened here
Piers are set on cofferdams — a ring of driven piles, pumped dry, filled with concrete that sets under water. They are built with a cutwater pointing upstream to split the current and the ice. The span above may be stone arches or timber on stone, and timber is not a poor relation: it is cheaper, faster, and replaceable. Roads approach on an embankment so the crossing stays level. Tolls are common, shrines at either end are usual, and the inscription names whoever paid. Floods are the enemy; a bridge is inspected after every big one, and the scour around the piers is packed with rubble. A bridge fixes a town's position for a thousand years, which is why so many are still standing.
Sources
Nearby
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