Likely site of Rhine crossings

Caesar’s Rhine bridges, the first two bridges to cross the Rhine River, were built by Julius Caesar and his legionaries during the Gallic War in 55 BC and 53 BC, respectively. Strategically successful they are also considered masterpieces of military engineering.^[1] A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ... Gaius Julius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. ... A modern reconstruction of a Roman centurion around 70 A modern reconstruction of a Roman miles, (10-240) The Roman legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC The Gallic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Romans and the people of Gaul during the mid-first century BC, culminating in the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC which resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic across Gaul. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 60 BC 59 BC 58 BC 57 BC 56 BC 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 58 BC 57 BC 56 BC 55 BC 54 BC 53 BC 52 BC 51 BC 50...

During the conquest of Gaul it became necessary to secure the eastern border of the new provinces against marauding Germanic tribes. These tribes felt safe on the eastern side of the Rhine river, ostensibly a natural border, and invaded the province at opportune times. Caesar decided to deal with them. He also wanted to show support for the Ubii, an allied German tribe across the Rhine. While he could have crossed the Rhine by boat, he decided to build a bridge. By this he demonstrated the might and power of Rome. In addition, as he indicated in his Commentary on the Gallic War, this approach conformed more to the dignity of the Roman Army. Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) was the region of Western Europe occupied by present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The term Germanic tribes (or Teutonic tribes) applies to the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. ... A natural border is a border between states which are composed of natural objects such as rivers, mountain ranges, or deserts. ... The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river. ... Commentarii de Bello Gallico (literally Commentaries on the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... Soldiers of the Roman Army (on manoeuvres in Nashville, Tennessee) Rome was a militarized state whose history was often closely entwined with its military history over the 1228 years that the Roman state is traditionally said to have existed. ...

The actual construction of Caesar's first bridge took place most likely between Andernach and Neuwied, downstream of Koblenz. Liber IV of his commentaries gives technical details of this wooden beam bridge. Double timber pilings were rammed into the bottom of the river, the most upstream and downstream pilings were slanted and secured by a beam, and multiple segments of these then linked up to form the basis of the bridge. Conflicting models have been presented based on his description.^[1][2] Separate upstream pilings were used as protective barriers against flotsam and possible attacks while guard towers protected the entries. The length of the bridge has been estimated to be 140 to 400 m, and its width 6 to 9 m.^[1][2] The depth of the river can reach up to 6 m. Andernach is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine river, just north of Koblenz. ... Missing image Map of Germany showing Neuwied Neuwied is a town in the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 8 miles below Coblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. ... Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on the left bank of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument ( Emperor William I on horseback) are situated. ... A steel pedestrian footbridge over the a busy road in Swansea, typical of many beam bridges A beam bridge is a direct descendant of the log bridge now made from steel I beams, box beams (hollow rectangular tubes), reinforced concrete, or post-tensioned concrete (concrete with tubes for cable tendons). ...

Caesar's troops built the first bridge in only 10 days. He crossed with his troops over to the eastern site and burned some villages but found that the tribes of the Sugambri and Suebi had moved eastward. After 18 days and without any major battle he returned to Gaul and cut the bridge down. This article or section should include material from Sigambrer The Sugambri, Sigambrer or Sicambri were a west Germanic tribe which existed during the time of the Roman Empire. ... Suebi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Two years later, close to the site of the first bridge, possibly at today's Umitz(near Neuwied), Caesar erected a second bridge, built "in a few days", as described in Liber VI. His expeditionary forces raided the country side but did not encounter significant opposition as the Suebi retreated. Upon returning to Gaul, the bridge was taken down again.

Caesars strategy was effective as he was able to secure the eastern border of Gaul. He demonstrated that Roman power could easily and at will cross the Rhine and henceforth for several centuries significant Germanic incursions across the Rhine were halted. Further his feat served him in establishing his fame at home.

With Roman colonization of the Rhine valley more permanent bridges were built later at Cologne, Koblenz, and Mainz. Köln redirects here. ... Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German spellings; French Coblence) is a city situated on the left bank of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument ( Emperor William I on horseback) are situated. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ...

Later speculation about their location is due to the temporary nature of the construction and the lack of a precise location in Caesar's report. However diggings in the Andernach-Neuwied area found residual pilings that are considered to be remnants of Caesar's bridges. As an alternative site a place south of Bonn has been mentioned.^[1] Bonn is a city in Germany (19th largest), in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the north of the Siebengebirge. ...

References

1. ^ ^a b c d B.Nebel. Julius Cäsars Brücke über den Rhein.
2. ^ ^a b A.Voggenreiter. Historischer Rückblick.

• Caesar's De Bello Gallico