Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PONS. PONS. 939
vwhich Trajan built across the Danube, which is of Trajan at Rome; which has given rise to
one of the greatest efforts of human ingenuity, much controversy, as it does not agree in many
must not pass unmentioned. A full account of respects with the de&ription of Dion Cassius. Thile
its construction is given by Dion Cassius (lxviii. inscription, supposed to have belonged to this
p. 776, B.); and it is also mentioned by the younger bridge, is quoted by Leunclav. p. 1041. 6, and by
Pliny (Ep. viii. 4; compare Procopius, De Aedi- Gruter, 448. 3.
ficiis). The form of it is given in the annexed
SUB JUGUM ECCE RAPITUR:ET DwN'Vius.
woodcut, from a representation of it on the column
It will be observed that the piers only are of sage of an army; and VegetiLs (I. c.) says that it
stone, and the superstructure of wood. was customary for the Roman army to carry with
The Conte Marsigli, in a letter to Montfaucon them small boats (zonoxuli) hollowed out from the
(Giosnale de' Letterati d' Italia, vol. xxii. p. 116), trunk of a tree, together with planks and nails, so
gives the probable measurements of this structure, that a bridge could be constructed and bound tofrom observations made upon the spot, which will gether with ropes upon any emergency without
serve as a faithful commentary upon the text of loss of time. Pompey passed the Euphrates by a
Dion. He considers that the whole line consisted similar device during the Mithridatic war. (Florus,
of 23 piers and 22 arches (making the whole bridge iii. 5.) The preceding woodcut, taken from a basabout 3010 feet long, and 48 in height), which are relief on the column of Trajan, will afford an idea
much more than the number displayed upon the of the general method of construction and form of
column. But this is easily accounted for without these bridges, of which there are several designs
impairing the authority of the artist's work. A i upon the soine monument, all of which greatly refew arches were sufficient to show the general semble each other.
features of the bridge, without continuing the mono- When the Comitia were held, the voters, in order
tonous uniformity of the whole line, which would to reach the enclosure called sepetum and ovile,
have produced an effect ill adapted to the purposes passed over a wooden platform, elevated above the
of sculpture. It was destroyed by Hadrian (Dion ground, which was called poons sz'ficayioruz7, in
Cass. I. c.), under the pretence that it would ficili- order that they might be able to give their votes
tate the incursions of the barbarians into the Roman without confusion or collusion.
territories, but in reality, it is said, from jealousy Poens is also used to signify the platform (Esriand despair of being able himself to accomplish ~dOpa, &7roedOpa) used for embarking in or disany equally great undertaking; which is supposed embarking from, a ship.
to be confirmed by the fact that he afterwards put Tnterea Aeneas socios do puppihus altis
to death the architect, Artemidorus, under whose Pontibus expanit." Virg. Aen. x. 288.
directions it was constructed.
The Romans also denominated by the name of The method of using these pontes is represented
pontes the causeways which in modern language in the annexed woodcut, taken from a very curious
are termed a"viaducts." Of these the Peons ad intaglio representing the history of the Trojan war,
Nonram, now called ponte None, near the ninth discovered at Bovillae towards the latter end of the
mile from Rome on the Via Praezwstina is a fine 1 7th century; which is given by Fabretti, Sys/t/aq?nc
specimen. de Co/iumns. Trqajeni, p. 315. (See further, Hirt,
Amongst the bridges of temporary use, which Leasre der Gebilde, ~ x.) [A. R.]
were made for the immediate purposes of a campaign, the most celebrated is that constructed by
Julius Caesar over the Rhine within the short
period of ten days. It was built entirely of wood,
and the whole process of its construction is minutely detailed by its author (De Bell. Gall. iv. 17).
An elevation of it is given by Palladio, constructed 2
in conformity with the account of Caesar, which
has been copied in the edition of Oudendorp and''
in the Delphin edition.
Vegetius (iii. 7), Herodian (viii. 4, 8), and
Lucan (iv. 420) mention the use of casks (deolia, Mj
cupae) by the Romans to support rafts for the pas- /
PO'NTIFEX (isposL'Ticao s, iepovi'ios, repo., /\t/\Vbi/ 4 a,, iEpoePdcr-qs). The origin of this word is
explained in -arious ways. Q. Scaevola, who was
himself pontifex maximius, derived it from posse
and fitcere, and Varro from poons, because the pontiffs, he says, had built the pens sublicius, and
afterwards firequently restored it, that it might be