Roman Pontoon Bridge

 

This pontoon bridge features three pontoons. Three sections of the bridge do not have planking to show the underlying main baulks (wooden beams or stringers). This bridge is totally tied together with rope, and can be assembled by a skilled crew in just a few hours. The parts of the bridge could be loaded onto and carried by a section of six or seven large wagons.

Roman Foot Bridge

 

This bridge design would be one of wood as a building material and used as a foot bridge over moderate sized rivers and streams. It would be fairly quick to erect and easy to take down. In some cases the materials could be taken with the legion as it marched, similar to pontoons It could be expanded to take horse-drawn carts, however the main stringer beams supporting the bridge determined the weight that it could carry. The main structure could be strengthened significantly by supporting the center of the bridge with timbers under the main stringers and placed below the bridge vertically. However, this would take more time to erect, and that would only be effective if the stream bed was rock and not mud.

Roman Crane Lifting Block

 

Crane Lifting Block and load.

Roman Crane Side View

 

Roman Crane Rear View

 

This is a rear view of the crane. It is clear that this crane is a relatively small piece of machinery and is not capable of very large loads since there is only a direct hand power to turn the main drum.

Roman Crane Side view

 

This is a side view of the crane. Note the two grey blocks on the rear of the frame, These are stone blocks for weight to steady the crane under heavy lifting conditions.

Roman Crane

 

This is a full picture of the crane model. Note the long handles on the main drum. These were used by the slaves to lift the cable and load. This is different from the "hamster cage" style of crane where men are climbing a never ending stair to rotate the main drum.