Bridge of Tiberius
About
Augustus began this five-arch bridge over the Marecchia in 14 CE, and Tiberius finished it in 21 CE, giving it his name. Cut from solid Istrian stone, it has carried traffic across the river for two thousand years without a single arch collapsing. Blind aedicules frame the piers between its five spans. By 117 CE it had already linked Ariminum to the coastal road toward Ravenna for nearly a century.
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
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →