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Pons Fabricius Ponte Fabricio Ponte dei Quattro Capi
The Pons Fabricius in 2008
Coordinates	41°53′28″N12°28′42″E / 41.89111°N 12.47833°E /41.89111; 12.47833
Carries	ConnectionCampus Martius-Tiber Island
Crosses	Tiber
Locale	Rome,Italy
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Stone and rock
Total length	62 m (203 ft)
Width	5.5 m (18 ft)
Height	55.5 feet
Longest span	24.5 m (80 ft)
No. of spans	2
History
Construction end	62 BC
Location
Click on the map for a fullscreen view

ThePons Fabricius (Italian:Ponte Fabricio, "Fabrician Bridge") orPonte dei Quattro Capi, is the oldest extantbridge inRome,Italy.^[1] Built in 62 BC, it spans half of theTiber River, from theCampus Martius on the east side toTiber Island in the middle (thePons Cestius is west of the island).Quattro Capi ("four heads") refers to the two marble pillars of the two-facedJanusherms on the parapet, which were moved here from the nearbyChurch of St Gregory (Monte Savello) in the 14th century.^[2]

According toDio Cassius, the bridge was built in 62 BC, the year afterCicero wasconsul, to replace an earlier wooden bridge destroyed by fire. It was commissioned by Lucius Fabricius, the curator of the roads and a member of thegensFabricia 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 spanning 80 feet, supported by a central pillar in the middle of the stream. The arches of this bridge are the first ones on any Roman bridge that were not semi-circular. This is possibly caused by the semi-circle being located below the water line. Its core is constructed oftuff. Its outer facing today is made of bricks andtravertine. A relief is located 20 feet above the pier. During times offlood, this relief served as an additionalwaterway.^[3]

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 underPope Innocent XI, probably in 1679.

• Ponte Milvio – Ancient Roman bridge, a landmark of Rome, Italy
• List of Roman bridges
• List of ancient monuments in Rome
• Roman architecture
• Roman engineering

• O’Connor, Colin (1993),Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, p. 66,ISBN 0-521-39326-4

• LacusCurtius: Pons Fabricius
• Pons Fabricius atStructurae
• The Waters of Rome: Tiber River Bridges and the Development of the Ancient City of RomeArchived 2008-09-16 at theWayback Machine
• Tiber Island information(in Italian)
• Ponte FabricioArchived 2011-09-29 at theWayback Machine(in Italian)
• Lucentini, M. (31 December 2012).The Rome Guide: Step by Step through History's Greatest City. Interlink.ISBN 9781623710088.

Media related toPonte dei Quattro Capi at Wikimedia Commons

• Bridges in Rome
• Roman bridges in Italy
• Deck arch bridges
• Stone bridges in Italy
• Bridges completed in the 1st century BC
• Rome R. XII Ripa

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