Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

From ancient times, a bridge linked Arles to the Camargue, probably replaced by a first Roman work in the Augustan era. The visible bridge today, attributed to the Constantine era (1st quarter of the 1st century), is also called boat bridge. It combined stone parts at the ends and a central wooden structure, forming a place for trade. Its remains, very small, are located between Trinquetaille and Arles, near the old gates of Rousset and Vers.

The bridge is mentioned from the first century on a mosaic of Ostia, representing the Rhone delta. In the fourth century, the poet Ausone described him as a bridge of central boats in the exchanges of the little Gaulish Rome. In 428, a collapse during a pilgrimage was reported without victims, thanks to miraculous protection. In the fifth century, it was a strategic issue during the siege of Arles (507/508) between Burgundy, Francs and Ostrogoths.

In the eighth century, an Arab author described it as a large and solid work, even housing markets. Today, its ruins, classified as a historical monument (1920) and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1981), are partially immersed. Current knowledge is based on written sources, ancient representations and subfluvial archaeological prospecting, with very limited visible remains.

The bridge played a key role on the Aurelian route, connecting Arles to Fourques via a second structure crossing the Petit-Rhône. Its hybrid structure (stone and wood) and its central place made it a major place of trade and passage in the Roman Empire. The current ruins, owned by the State and the French Navigable Ways, testify to its historical and architectural importance.

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