The Alcántara Bridge, Spain, a masterpiece of ancient bridge building

Roman bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built.^[1] Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure. (see arch bridge). Most utilized concrete as well, which the Romans were the first to use for bridges.

Typology[link]

Pons Fabricius in Rome, Italy

Roman pontoon bridge across the lower Danube

As with the vault and the dome the Romans were the first to fully realize the potential of arches for bridge construction.^[3]

A list of Roman bridges compiled by the engineer Colin O'Connor features 330 Roman stone bridges for traffic, 34 Roman timber bridges and 54 Roman aqueduct bridges, a substantial part still standing and even used to carry vehicles.^[4] A more complete survey by the Italian scholar Vittorio Galliazzo found 931 Roman bridges, mostly of stone, in as many as 26 different countries (including former Yugoslavia; see right table).^[5]

Roman arch bridges were usually semicircular, although a few were segmental (such as Alconétar Bridge). A segmental arch is an arch that is less than a semicircle.^[6] The advantages of the segmental arch bridge were that it allowed great amounts of flood water to pass under it, which would prevent the bridge from being swept away during floods and the bridge itself could be more lightweight. Generally, Roman bridges featured wedge-shaped primary arch stones (voussoirs) of the same in size and shape. The Romans built both single spans and lengthy multiple arch aqueducts, such as the Pont du Gard and Segovia Aqueduct. Their bridges featured from an early time onwards flood openings in the piers, e.g. in the Pons Fabricius in Rome (62 BC), one of the world's oldest major bridges still standing. Roman engineers were the first and until the industrial revolution the only ones to construct bridges with concrete, which they called Opus caementicium. The outside was usually covered with brick or ashlar, as in the Alcántara bridge.

The Romans also introduced segmental arch bridges into bridge construction. The 330 m long Limyra Bridge in southwestern Turkey features 26 segmental arches with an average span-to-rise ratio of 5.3:1,^[7] giving the bridge an unusually flat profile unsurpassed for more than a millennium. Trajan's bridge over the Danube featured open-spandrel segmental arches made of wood (standing on 40 m high concrete piers). This was to be the longest arch bridge for a thousand years both in terms of overall and individual span length, while the longest extant Roman bridge is the 790 m long Puente Romano at Mérida.

The late Roman Karamagara Bridge in Cappadocia may represent the earliest surviving bridge featuring a pointed arch.^[8]

Arch shapes[link]

Early Roman arch bridges, influenced by the ancient notion of the ideal form of the circle, often describe a full circle, with the stone arch continuing underground. A typical example is the Pons Fabricius in Rome. Later, Roman masonry bridges rested mostly on semi-circular arches, or, to a lesser extent, on segmental arches.^[9][10] For the later design, which shows an early, local concentration in north-eastern Italy, but can be found scattered throughout the whole empire, the Limyra Bridge, the Alconétar Bridge and the Ponte San Lorenzo are prime examples. In addition, a number of other arch form make rare appearances, in some cases of which later deformations cannot be ruled out though. The late antique Karamagara Bridge represents an early example for the use of pointed arches.

Typical characteristics[link]

• Many are more than 5 meters wide
• Most of them slope slightly
• Many have rustic work
• The stonework has alternating stretcher and header courses ; i.e. one layer of rectangular stones is laid lengthwise, and the next layer has the ends facing outwards
• Stones linked with dovetail joints or metal bars
• Indents in the stones for gripping tools to hold onto

(Source Traianus - An endeavour to identify Roman Bridges built in former Hispania)

Examples[link]

For outstanding achievements of Roman bridge building, see List of ancient architectural records.

Pont-Saint-Martin Bridge, Italy

Built in 142 BC, the Pons Aemilius, later named Ponte Rotto (broken bridge) is the oldest Roman stone bridge in Rome, Italy.

The biggest Roman bridge was Trajan's bridge over the lower Danube, constructed by Apollodorus of Damascus, which remained for over a millennium the longest bridge to have been built both in terms of overall and span length. They were most of the time at least 2 meters above the body of water.

An example of temporary military bridge construction are the two Caesar's Rhine bridges.

Large river bridging[link]

Roman engineers built stone arch or stone pillar bridges over all major rivers of their Imperium, save two: the Euphrates which lay at the frontier to the rival Iranian empires, and the Nile, the longest river in the world, which was 'bridged' as late as 1902 by the British Old Aswan Dam.^[11]

The largest rivers to be spanned by solid bridges by the Romans were the Danube and the Rhine, the two largest European rivers west of the Eurasian Steppe. The lower Danube was crossed by least two (Trajan's Bridge, Constantine's Bridge) and the middle and lower Rhine by four different bridges (Roman Bridge at Mainz, Caesar's Rhine bridges, Roman Bridge at Koblenz, Roman Bridge at Cologne). For rivers with strong currents and to allow swift army movements, pontoon bridges were also routinely employed.^[12] Going from the distinct lack of records of pre-modern solid bridges spanning larger rivers,^[13] the Roman feat appears to be unsurpassed anywhere in the world until well into the 19th century.

Gallery[link]

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Fuentes, Manuel Durán: La construcción de puentes romanos en Hispania, Xunta de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela 2004, ISBN 978-84-453-3937-4
• Fernández Troyano, Leonardo (2003), Bridge Engineering. A Global Perspective, London: Thomas Telford Publishing, ISBN 0-7277-3215-3 
• Galliazzo, Vittorio (1995), I ponti romani, Vol. 1, Treviso: Edizioni Canova, ISBN 88-85066-66-6 
• Galliazzo, Vittorio (1994), I ponti romani. Catalogo generale, Vol. 2, Treviso: Edizioni Canova, ISBN 88-85066-66-6 
• Gazzola, Piero (1963), Ponti romani. Contributo ad un indice sistematico con studio critico bibliografico, Florence 
• O’Connor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-39326-4 

See also[link]

• Arch bridge
• Bridges in city of Rome
• Record-holding bridges in antiquity
• Roman architecture

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roman bridges

• Traianus - Technical investigation of Roman public works
• The Waters of Rome: Tiber River Bridges and the Development of the Ancient City of Rome
• Livius.org: Pontes longi - Roman bog bridges

v t e Roman bridges England Chesters Bridge • Piercebridge Roman Bridge • Pons Aelius France Pont Ambroix • Pont de Bornègre • Pont Flavien • Pont du Gard • Pont Julien • Pont sur la Laye • Pont des Marchands • Pont Serme • Roman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry) • Roman Bridge (Vaison-la-Romaine) Germany Caesar's Rhine bridges • Römerbrücke (Trier) Iran Band-e Kaisar Italy Pons Aemilius • Pons Agrippae • Ponte Altinate • Pons Cestius • Pons Fabricius • Pons Neronianus • Pons Probi • Pons Sublicius • Pont d'Aël • Pont de Pierre (Aosta) • Pont-Saint-Martin • Ponte d'Augusto (Rimini) • Ponte Corvo • Ponte del Gran Caso • Ponte Milvio • Ponte Molino (Padua) • Ponte Nomentano • Ponte Pietra (Verona) • Ponte di Pioraco • Ponte di Quintodecimo • Ponte Salario • Ponte San Lorenzo • Ponte Sant'Angelo • Susegana Bridge Lebanon Leontes Bridge Portugal Ponte de Rubiães • Ponte Nova da Cava da Velha • Roman Bridge (Chaves) Romania Constantine's Bridge (Danube) • Trajan's Bridge Spain Acueducto de los Milagros • Alcántara Bridge • Alcántara Bridge (Toletum) • Alconétar Bridge • Aqüeducte de les Ferreres • Puente Romano (Mérida) • Segovia Aqueduct Bridge Syria Bridge at Nimreh • Gemarrin Bridge • Kharaba Bridge Turkey Aesepus Bridge • Arapsu Bridge • Bridge at Oinoanda • Constantine's Bridge (Mysia) • Eurymedon Bridge (Aspendos) • Eurymedon Bridge (Selge) • Karamagara Bridge • Kemer Bridge • Limyra Bridge • Makestos Bridge • Nysa Bridge • Penkalas Bridge • Pergamon Bridge • Sangarius Bridge • Severan Bridge • Taşköprü (Adana) • Valens Aqueduct Bridge • White Bridge (Mysia) Full list of Roman bridges

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson in France in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson
Born	(1950-03-21) 21 March 1950 (age 62)
Origin	Portsmouth, England
Genres	Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass
Years active	1969–present
Labels	A&M, Unichord/Voiceprint, Epic
Associated acts	Supertramp, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, Argosy
Website	RogerHodgson.com

Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp.^[1][2][3]

Hodgson composed and sang on the majority of the band's hits, including "Dreamer", "Give a Little Bit", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home" and "It's Raining Again".

He left Supertramp in 1983 to pursue a solo career, but after two albums he retired from touring and other industry obligations. In 1997 he returned to doing solo tours, and released a third album in 2000. He is recognised for his tenor singing voice, which became a trademark of his former band Supertramp, and often writes about spiritual and philosophical topics.

Biography[link]

1950–1969: Early years[link]

Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, in 1950 and grew up in Oxford. He is the son of Charles Hodgson and Jill Hodgson (died in June 2009). He attended Woodcote House near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, where he was the first boy to learn electric guitar, and Stowe School near Buckingham, Buckinghamshire. His first guitar was a parting gift from his father at age 12 when his parents divorced.^[4] He took it to boarding school with him, where his teacher taught him three chords. He began composing his own music and lyrics and within a year gave his first concert at school with nine original songs. Hodgson's first band at school consisted of him on guitar and his friend Roy Hoby playing snare drums. They were dubbed the "H-bombs" because of their last names.

At age 19, Roger Hodgson made his first appearance in a recording studio as guitarist for People Like Us, a band he formed shortly after graduating from boarding school.^[4] The group recorded a single, "Duck Pond" b/w "Send Me No Flowers", which was never released.^[5]

After People Like Us disbanded, Hodgson auditioned for Island Records, with Traffic's road manager providing him a foot in the door with the label.^[4] Island set him up in a recording studio as vocalist for the one-off "flower power" pop band Argosy, which also included Reginald Dwight (later known as Elton John), Caleb Quaye, and Nigel Olsson.^[6] Their sole single, "Mr. Boyd" b/w "Imagine", consisted of two pieces of orchestrated pop (both penned by Hodgson) and was issued in 1969 on the DJM (U.K.) and Congress (U.S.) record labels.^[6] It sold poorly and consequently has become rare and sought after. "Mr. Boyd" was covered in 1997 by Jake Shillingford and his band My Life Story on their album "The Golden Mile".

1969–1983: Supertramp[link]

After the breakup of Argosy, Hodgson, responding to an advert placed in Melody Maker by Rick Davies, auditioned for the guitarist spot in the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson was offered the job, but when Richard Palmer arrived the next day to audition for the same spot, Hodgson agreed to learn how to play bass instead.^[7]

The songs on Supertramp's self-titled first album, released in 1970, were composed by Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies, and Richard Palmer; however, since both Hodgson and Davies were unwilling to write lyrics, Palmer wrote all the album's lyrics.^[7] Palmer left shortly after the album's recording, allowing Hodgson to switch back to guitar, but leaving him and Davies no choice but to serve as the band's lyricists. Paralleling fellow British prog rockers Genesis and their search for a new lead vocalist, Supertramp auditioned 93 guitarists before turning the role over to Hodgson.^[8] The hugely successful Crime of the Century was released in 1974. Crisis? What Crisis?, released in 1975, was followed by Even in the Quietest Moments in 1977. In 1979, they released their most successful album, Breakfast in America. This album has sold over 20 million copies to date.^[9] The live album, Paris, was released in 1980. …Famous Last Words…, released in 1982, included Hodgson's first solo recording, "Know Who You Are".

From 1974 through 1983, all songs recorded by Supertramp were legally credited with a shared writing credit of Davies/Hodgson. Roger Hodgson was the writer of hits such as "Give a Little Bit", "Breakfast in America", "It's Raining Again", "Take the Long Way Home" and "Fool's Overture". Hodgson wrote "Breakfast in America", "The Logical Song", and some of "Fool's Overture" at home with a harmonium he had bought from a neighbour when he was 17 years old (this instrument is used in the background of "Breakfast in America", and prominently appears on "Two of Us" and his solo track "The Garden").

In 1981, Hodgson left Los Angeles and moved his family to Northern California, where he built a home studio and began contemplating solo recordings.^[10] The rest of Supertramp remained in Los Angeles, and the geographic separation created a rift between them and Hodgson; there was little to no feuding, but the group harmony was lost. Hodgson felt increasingly constrained in the group context, and during the tour for …Famous Last Words… he made the final decision to leave Supertramp.^[11] He has stated that there were not any real problems in his relationship with Davies, as was speculated.^[12]

1984–present: Solo career[link]

Hodgson recorded three solo albums at his new home studio, the first before his departure from Supertramp. Titled Sleeping With the Enemy, it was cut in the months between the release of …Famous Last Words… and its supporting tour, and mixed during Supertramp rehearsals for said tour in hopes of fitting in some solo promotion while on the road.^[11] However, at the last minute Hodgson had second thoughts about the album's quality and decided to scrap it, planning to record a new and better album after his last tour with Supertramp.^[11]

This second effort, In the Eye of The Storm, was released in 1984. Despite being heavily publicized as the solo album of a former member of Supertramp, it failed to break the top 40 in either the US or UK.^[13][14] The single "Had a Dream (Sleeping With the Enemy)" was able to reach no higher than number 48 in the US,^[15] while the follow-up single, "In Jeopardy", failed to chart at all.

Though a major commercial disappointment after his last six albums with Supertramp, In the Eye of the Storm would prove to be Hodgson's biggest success without the group. His second album was Hai Hai (1987), however, just prior to the release of Hai Hai, Hodgson fell from a loft in his home and broke both wrists, which disabled him from promoting the album.^[16] It would barely scrape into the Billboard 200,^[17] and did not make the UK Chart. He decided to take a long break from both touring and recording in order to spend more time with his children.^[16]

In 1990, Hodgson was approached by Yes to take the lead singer position but declined the offer. One of the songs he co-wrote with Trevor Rabin, "Walls", appears on Yes's 1994 Talk album, with lyrics revised by Anderson. A version of "Walls" with only Hodgson and Rabin on vocals was released on Trevor Rabin's 2003 archival release 90124.

After a long break, he launched into his first tour in over ten years, and released 1997's live Rites of Passage to document the tour. The live album was recorded at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City, California. He performed with a full band including his son Andrew and Supertramp sax player John Helliwell. The album was a total flop in both the UK and US, but gave Hodgson his only significant solo success in Germany, reaching number 34 in the charts there.^[18]

Hodgson played King Arthur in the rock opera Excalibur: La Legende Des Celtes, and appeared on the album for two songs: "The Elements," and "The Will of God." The project was headed by Alan Simon and released in 1999. In 2000, he contributed vocals on a track titled "The Moon Says Hello" by Carlos Núñez, on the CD Mayo Longo.

Hodgson's fourth solo effort Open the Door was released in 2000 and continued in the vein of his previous work. He collaborated again with Alan Simon on the album. In August 2000, Hodgson guested with Fairport Convention at that years Cropredy Festival. He performed "Breakfast In America", "The Logical Song", "Open The Door" and "Give A Little Bit".

Hodgson toured as a member of the All-Starr Band in 2001, playing lead guitar, and has since collaborated with Trevor Rabin (who appears on the track "The More I Look" on Open the Door) and Ringo Starr.

Hodgson is still touring, often playing alone, but from time to time he is joined by other musicians or a full orchestra. He took part in the Night of the Proms concert series in Belgium and Germany in late 2004, as well as the rock festival Bospop in 2005. On 30 November 2005, he held his first concert in England in over twenty years, at Shepherd's Bush, London. While the performance was filmed and scheduled for a DVD release, the plan was scrapped. Instead, the concert recorded at the Place Des Arts in Montreal, Canada on 6 June 2006 was his first DVD, released on 22 August 2006, entitled Take The Long Way Home - Live In Montreal. In October 2006, the DVD was certified multi-platinum by the CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association).

In May 2006, Hodgson was honoured by ASCAP in recognition of his song "Give A Little Bit" being one of the most played songs in the ASCAP repertoire in 2005. He received another ASCAP award on 9 April 2008 for the Gym Class Heroes' song "Cupid's Chokehold", recognized as one of the most played songs in ASCAP's repertoire in 2007.

Hodgson participated as a mentor on Canadian Idol along with Dennis DeYoung. He continued mentoring several of the finalists during his 2006 Canadian Tour.

Hodgson performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, UK on 1 July 2007. He sang a medley of his most popular songs: "Dreamer", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America" and "Give A Little Bit".

On 18 September 2007, Eagle Vision released the DVD Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal worldwide, achieving gold in Germany and France.

Hodgson toured the US, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, and Canada in 2010. Though Hodgson's former bandmates in Supertramp announced a 40th Anniversary reunion tour, he was not invited to join them, and his own touring schedule would have prohibited him from any participation beyond the occasional guest spot in any case.^[19] Both Hodgson and Supertramp released tour material on download only on their websites. Hodgson's Classics Live is a collection of recordings taken from solo, band, and orchestra shows from his 2010 world tour. Hodgson again toured worldwide in 2011 and is again on a world tour which started in February and will finish in November.^[20]

Personal life[link]

Hodgson has been a vegetarian all of his life. He said in a 1983 interview about the topic: "I've always loved going out in the woods with all the trees because I also have the respect for the wilderness because I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

For his work with Supertramp, see Supertramp discography between 1969 and 1983

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Hodgson

• Official website
• Roger Hodgson on Myspace
• UK fansite

v t e Supertramp Rick Davies Bob Siebenberg John Helliwell Carl Verheyen Lee Thornburg Cliff Hugo Jesse Siebenberg Gabe Dixon Cassie Miller-Thornburg Past members: Roger Hodgson Dougie Thomson Richard Palmer Robert Millar Frank Farrell Kevin Currie Dave Winthrop Mark Hart Tom Walsh Keith Baker Touring members: Marty Walsh (1985–1988) Brad Cole (1986–1988) Scott Page (1983–1985) Fred Mandel (1983) Albums Supertramp Indelibly Stamped Crime of the Century Crisis? What Crisis? Even in the Quietest Moments... Breakfast in America ...Famous Last Words... Brother Where You Bound Free as a Bird Some Things Never Change Slow Motion Live albums Concert Classics Paris Live '88 It Was the Best of Times Is Everybody Listening? 70-10 Tour Compilations The Autobiography of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp The Very Best of Supertramp 2 Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology Singles "Forever"" "Land Ho" "Dreamer" "Bloody Well Right" "Lady" "Ain't Nobody But Me" "Give a Little Bit" "Babaji" "From Now On" "The Logical Song" "Breakfast in America" "Goodbye Stranger" "Take the Long Way Home" "Dreamer (live)" "Breakfast in America (live)" "It's Raining Again" "Don't Leave Me Now" "Crazy" "My Kind of Lady" "Still in Love" "Cannonball" "Better Days" "I'm Beggin' You" "Free As A Bird" "Give a Little Bit (New Version)" "You Win, I Lose" "Listen To Me, Please" "Slow Motion" Selected songs "Brother Where You Bound" "Fool's Overture" Related articles Discography Band members Book:Supertramp