Schiffbrücke über den Bosporus, Pontoon bridge across the Bosporus strait, Turkey
The Schiffbrücke over the Bosporus was a floating structure made of anchored ships that spanned the strait between Asia and Europe. The bridge consisted of multiple vessels lashed together with ropes, allowing foot soldiers and horses to cross from one continent to the other.
Persian King Darius I commissioned the pontoon bridge in 513 BCE as a passage for his army across to Thrace. Engineer Mandrocles of Samos designed the roughly 880-meter structure using warship-type vessels.
The bridge location near the current Rumeli Fortress appeared on Jean-Denis Barbié du Bocage's ancient Bosporus map from 1784.
The crossing was designed to handle large military formations with horses and equipment, capable of moving thousands of soldiers daily. The strait's depth required special anchoring techniques to keep the ships stable against the current.
The extreme water depths of about 67 meters made conventional anchoring methods impossible, forcing Mandrocles to develop an innovative rope system. This solution was so remarkable that it achieved fame captured on ancient coins and contemporary depictions.
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