[1] The bridge originally dates to the period of Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, being built between 27BCE and 79CE and gave access to the southern part of the city.

[2] When constructed in the 1st century, its purpose was to provide a crossing of the Tormes River for travelers on the Vía de la Plata linking Mérida and Astorga (previously known as Iter ab Emerita Asturicam).

[3] Historian Gil González Dávila stated in 1606 that the basis for the legends about Trajan as the builder resulted from a stone marker found nearby.

However, this stone marker actually pertained to repairs made on the Vía de la Plata Roman road.

The Greek geographer Strabo (III, 4, 20) showed that Roman troops were widely distributed in Hispania by that time, from Astorga, León to Lusitania.

[8] However, ambiguity exists in the actual completion date of the bridge, in part because the construction of the Via de la Plata evolved during Roman times because of changing military and economic needs.

[9] Regarding the economic significance of the Roman bridge of Salamanca, at the time that Emperor Augustus conducted his second military campaign in Hispania between 16 and 13 BCE, settlements were appearing along the roads, especially for purposes of transporting ore.

Also, by the beginning of the first century CE, exploitation of the gold mines of Las Cavenes (in El Cabaco) had started.

Infrastructure construction continued well into the first century CE as the Flavian dynasty dominated the northern portion of the Iberian peninsula.

Although the Verraco sculpture itself dates to the pre-Roman Vettones people, the first documented evidence of its placement at the bridge was from the 13th century.

In 1606, the city historian, Gil González Dávila, pointed out that the Salamanca coat of arms featured a stone bull in the first quarter of the design.

For this reason, it is possible that the original Roman-constructed part of the bridge may have been lengthier than it is today, as these sections may have been flood-damaged before written record-keeping.

Control of the passage of people and goods, as well as the collection of the portazgo tax (toll fees), was carried out on the city side of the Roman bridge of Salamanca.

The day before the battle, the Duke of Wellington, who commanded the British and Portuguese forces, captured the bridge and the nearby fords across the Tormes River at Santa Marta and Aldea Luenga, and from here could direct the attack against the French troops.