![]() During religious festivals, effigies made of bundles of straw were thrown into the river from the bridge. For example, the Pons Sublicius – the first bridge across the Tiber – was surrounded by strong taboos forbidding the use of metal in its construction and maintenance. We hear, too, about the special status of particular bridges. ![]() Occasionally a historical source records such rituals, as for Crassus at the Euphrates or Caesar at the Rubicon. In antiquity, rivers were dangerous, and crossing them required rites in the form of both prayers and sacrifices to appease the river god. The area around Piercebridge is thought to have been part of the territory of the Brigantes, which was conquered by Rome in the AD 70s. Piercebridge in context: this map shows north-east England in the Roman period. When carefully excavated, we can learn much about the ways in which they were constructed, and dendrochronological dating can even provide insights into the frequency of repairs: for example, the late Roman bridge at Cuijk in the Netherlands had three phases of construction, each approximately 20 years apart. Famous examples include Caesar’s bridge across the Rhine, Caligula’s bridge across the Bay of Baiae, and Trajan’s stone bridge across the Danube. They were also hugely symbolic structures, embodying the might of imperial power and conquest. Roman bridges are wonders of engineering, and played a vital role in the Empire’s transport network. Ritual or rubbish – how should we interpret objects that ended their days in rivers during the Roman period? Hella Eckardt and Philippa Walton consider this question by exploring the more than 3,600 artefacts that have been recovered from the waters of the Tees at Piercebridge. Thousands of Roman artefacts have been recovered from these waters in the last four decades. The sun sets over the River Tees at Piercebridge, near Darlington.
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