Via San Pietro 285 - 30023 Concordia Sagittaria (VE)
Web site http://www.comune.concordiasagittaria.ve.it/iulia/percorsi-archeologici
Summary
The archaeological area displays the remains of a Roman bridge that was built at the time of Augustus in order to cross the ancient bed of the river Reghena. The bridge allowed the entrance of the consular road “Via Annia” in the town of Concordia Sagittaria.
History of research
The bridge was found in 1877 during agricultural works and was first excavated in 1878. New researches were carried out between 1976 and 1977 by the General Direction for Archaeological Heritage in the Veneto region. After this, the bridge was restored and opened to the public.
Urban and geographical context
Concordia Sagittaria is located in the north-eastern Veneto plain, in a territory surrounded by the Tagliamento river on the east and the Livenza river on the west. The main river of the city is the Lemene, which flows from the springs strip, passes through the centre of Concordia and finally flows into Valle Zignago, the northernmost extreme of the lagoon in Caorle. This archaeological area is located within the modern city of Concordia and it used to be at the outskirts of the Roman settlement, just out of the centre-northern part of the city walls.
Chronology
I B.C. (end) - I A.D. (beginning)
Roman bridge in "Via San Pietro"
The Roman bridge of Concordia was built in the second half of the I century B.C., right after the establishment of the Roman colony, between 42 and 40 B.C. The bridge was located by the entrance in town of the consular road “via Annia” and crossed a river about 20 metres large that has been interpreted as an ancient bed of the river Reghena. Today this river has been diverted to another direction. The bridge leaned on consolidation wooden poles fixed into the ground. These poles supported stretched rectangular abutments. It has been noticed that, differently from other bridges, these abutments had no beak on their short sides. For this reason it has been hypothesized that the river was of modest capacity or that it had a constant flow. The structure of the bridge was made of a central concrete core and was externally covered by blocks of trachyte of the Euganean hills. The blocks were 30 centimetres thick and were secured together by large lead-fixed iron cramps. The bridge had three arches: the central one was a raised segmental arch; the lateral ones were semi-circular arches – the western one is visible. The arches were exclusively made of stone and were 7,46 metres large (central arch) and 1,80 metres (lateral arches). In the first half of the I century A.D. the top parapet of the bridge was restored or constructed with limestone from Aurisina. Two identical inscriptions were engraved on them. They referred to the freedman and “sevir” Manius Acilius Eudamus, upon whose testament the bridge or part of it was constructed. The letters of the inscriptions have a constant height of 14,5 centimetres but the text is not distributed in the same way on both stone slabs. For this reason it is thought that they have been engraved after the placement of the slabs. The original inscriptions are preserved within the archaeological area, detached from the bridge.
Visiting
Visitability: Esterno; Ticket: No;
School access
Services for visitors
Parking
“Northern Parking” of the Concordia archaeological itinerary
Educational Services
Guide a stampa
Information boards
Guided Tours
For any information about guided tours please call tel. 0421 275677.
Educational activities
Teaching activities by the association "Studio D Friuli" (Francesca Benvegnù, tel. 3463257139; e-mail: studiodfriuli@alice.it).
Library and documentation centre
Bibliography
Bonetto J. 2009, Veneto (Archeologia delle Regioni d'Italia), Roma, pp. 496.
I luoghi della cultura 2006, Roma, pp. 375.
Croce Da Villa P. 2001, Le mura di cinta, in Concordia Sagittaria. Tremila anni di storia, a cura di Croce Da Villa P., Di Filippo Balestrazzi E., Padova, pp. 156.
Il Museo Nazionale Concordiese di Portogruaro e le aree archeologiche di Concordia Sagittaria 2001, a cura di Croce Da Villa P. , Concordia Sagittaria (VE), pp. 69-70.
Croce Da Villa P. 1987, Concordia, in Il Veneto nell’età romana, II, a cura di Cavalieri Manasse G., Verona, pp. 395.
Bertacchi L. 1987, Il ponte romano di Concordia, in Aquileia Nostra, LVIII, pp. 189-220.
Mangani E., Rebecchi F., Strazzulla M.J. 1981, Emilia, Venezie (Guide Archeologiche Laterza), Bari, pp. 207.
Bertolini D. 1878, Concordia, in Notizie degli Scavi, pp. 281-285.