62 BC by Lucius
Fabricius curator of the roads (curator
viarum), as reported by Cassius Dio and the large inscription
The small
inscription refers to an early restoration in 21 BC for the will of the consuls
of that year Marcus Lollius and Quintus Lepidus, after the flood of 23 BC which
had seriously damaged the bridge
It is
almost intact and it has been restored several times
It is also
known as PONTE QUATTRO CAPI (Four Heads Bridge) for two herms with four
heads included in the balustrade or PONS JUDAEORUM (Bridge of the
Jewish) for its proximity to the Jewish ghetto
It is 62 m
(203 feet) long
The
original coating of travertine was replaced by brick probably in 1679 when were
also the parapets were remade at the behest of Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi
(1676/89)
The ends of
the bridge were demolished when the embankments were built at the end of the
nineteenth century. They had two openings with arches similar to the central
one, still intact, which were intended to ease the pressure of the water during
the floods of the river
The
two “Herms with four heads” inserted into the balustrades were originally
probably functional to the ancient bronze balustrade