Pons Fabricius - Roma, Italy
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N 41° 53.467 E 012° 28.694
33T E 290790 N 4640762
The Pons Fabricius or Ponte dei Quattro Capi, is the oldest Roman bridge in Rome (Italy), still existing in its original state. It spans half of the Tiber River, from the Campus Martius on the east side to Tiber Island on the west side.
Waymark Code: WM112Y8
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 08/06/2019
Views: 3
According to Dio Cassius, the bridge was built in 62 BC, the year after Cicero was consul, to replace an earlier wooden bridge destroyed by fire. It was commissioned by Lucius Fabricius, the curator of the roads and a member of the gens Fabricia of Rome. Completely intact from Roman antiquity, it has been in continuous use ever since.
The Pons Fabricius has a length of 62 m, and is 5.5 m wide. It is constructed from two wide arches, supported by a central pillar in the middle of the stream. Its core is constructed of tuff. Its outer facing today is made of bricks and travertine. The central pillar is pierced by an arch of six meters wide to relieve hydraulic pressure on the structure in case of strong flood.
Inscriptions
An original inscription on the travertine commemorates its builder in Latin: "L . FABRICIVS . C . F . CVR . VIAR | FACIVNDVM . COERAVIT | IDEMQVE | PROBAVIT" ("Lucius Fabricius, son of Gaius, superintendent of the roads, took care and likewise approved that it be built"). It is repeated four times, once on each side of each arch.
A later inscription, in smaller lettering, records that the bridge was restored under Pope Innocent XI, probably in 167.
Source: Wikipedia (
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