The stone arch bridge was built over the Tagus River between 104 and 106 AD by an order of the Roman emperor Trajan in 98.

[6] The Alcántara Bridge has suffered more damage from war than from the elements over the years.

The Moors destroyed one of the smallest arches in 1214 although this was rebuilt centuries later, in 1543, with stone taken from the original quarries.

Their shared costs prove Roman bridges belonged to the region overall, and not to any one town (or two, if on a border).

[7] Pontem perpetui mansurum in saecula mundi fecit divina nobilis arte Lacer ...