Did they actually do all that nail-hammering construction en situ? Seems like it might have been really hazardous as they approached the enemy shore.
Or maybe they were handy at swinging already-constructed pieces in to position across the pontoon boats.
Once you have the pontoons ready, you really just have to lash the boats together with rope. They’re boats, after all - they can be constructed first, and then rowed into position; rather than being rowed into position and then the bridge bits hammered on top.
In this scenario, the crossing was ultimately uncontested - when the bridge was constructed and the first troops starting moving across, the enemy force scattered.
That being said, there’s a reason that contested crossings aren’t the norm even when you have a permanent bridge in place - very dicey to go through with!
High five!
That’s the closest approximation we have of an actual Roman salute! Romans are mentioned as saluting their officers with their right hands, but no other details are given. The only pictorial evidence is uncertain; none are definitively identified as a salute.
The closest representations are believed to be something like a high wave, like motioning to someone standing on a platform or mounted on a horse.
YOOOOO, EMPEROR!
