An early pontoon bridge was constructed in 480 bce by Persian engineers to transport Xerxes invading army across the Hellespont Dardanelles.

Pontoon bridge xerxes. To prevent the like disaster Xerxes caused this passage to be cut through the mountain broad enough to let two galleys with three banks of oars each pass in front. Same way part of the pontoon-bridge over the Danube described also as a raft iv 971 and 983 xe56ftr was removed and later replaced iv 1391 and 141. According to Herodotus the bridge was made of 676 ships stationed in two parallel rows with their keels in the direction of the current.

There are also strong currents there which would make constructing a pontoon bridge in the narrowest place practically impossible. Did you know that when Xerxes tried to cross the Dardanelles straight to invade Greece in the 2nd Greco-Persian war he built a floating bridge which then collapsed because of sea currents. This first pontoon bridge was used to allow the Persian army to cross the strait of Dardanelles in Turkey.

A new pontoon bridge of 700 ships was built 736 across which the gigantic army later was driven under the lash for seven days and seven nights 7561. Papyrus grown in Egypt was probably well. Xerxes Pontoon Bridges were constructed in 480 BC during the second Persian invasion of Greece upon the order of Xerxes I of Persia for the purpose of Xerxes army to traverse the Hellespont the present day Dardanelles from Asia into Thrace then also controlled by Persia in the European part of modern Turkey.

Persian engineers devised the method. Herodotus was interested in the material from which the cables for Xerxes bridges over the Strymon were made. If this had been a cabled bridge the cables would have been left in position.

The bridges were described by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus in his. The best place to construct a pontoon bridge is according to wiki sources about 3 280 yards wide today. Hellespont aka Dardanelles is a narrow natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that.

When Xerxes engineers bridged it the consequences were seismic. It held during Xerxes campaign quite well which speaks of its quality. But it was a formidable geographical and symbolic barrier between Asia and Europe.