Tiber Island - Ancient Rome Live (AIRC)

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The Tiber Island is almost 300 X 70 meters, which the Romans referred to as “inter duos pontes” between the two bridges. It seems most of its mass is owed to the formation of a sandbar, historically added to by the Romans, as an easier way to ford the Tiber River (versus the wooden Pons Sublicius). Traditionally, the Romans credited its formation from the huge amount of grain dumped into the Tiber, after the expulsion of Tarquin the Proud. The grain, ready for harvest but in the Campus Martius, recently destined as ager publicus, was for religious purposes considered sacred and was forbidden to be consumed. The resulting mass of grain dumped in this spot led to the formation of the island. (Livy, History. 2.5.2-4).

Find out more about Tiber Island at https://ancientromelive.org/tiber-island/

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