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Trajan's Bridge
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{{short description|Roman segmental arch bridge over the lower Danube}} {{see also|Roman Dacia}} {{Infobox bridge | bridge_name = Trajan's Bridge | native_name = {{Langx|la|Pons Traiani}}<br />{{Langx|ro|Podul lui Traian}}<br />{{Langx|sr|Трајанов мост}} / ''Trajanov most'' | native_name_lang = | image = Trajan's Bridge Across the Danube, Modern Reconstruction.jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = An [[artist's interpretation]] of Trajan's Bridge depicted upon a light brown surface, with bridge stretching from near shore of river on the bottom left and the far shore in the top right. | caption = Artistic reconstruction (1907) | official_name = | other_name = | carries = | crosses = [[Danube]] | locale = [[Drobeta-Turnu Severin]] ([[Romania]]), [[Kladovo]] ([[Serbia]]) | owner = | maint = | id = | architect = [[Apollodorus of Damascus]] | designer = | engineering = | design = | material = Wood, stone | length = {{convert|1135|m|ft|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} | height = {{convert|19|m|ft|abbr=on}} | mainspan = | spans = 20 masonry pillars | pierswater = | load = | clearance = | below = | life = | builder = | fabricator = | begin = 103 AD | complete = 105 AD | cost = | open = | inaugurated = | toll = | traffic = | preceded = | followed = | heritage = [[Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance]], and [[Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)|Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance]] (Serbia) | collapsed = Superstructure destroyed by [[Aurelian]] around 270 AD | closed = | replaces = | map_image = | map_alt = | map_width = | coordinates = {{coord|44.623769|22.66705|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:RO}} | references = | extra = | embedded = {{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Serbia | designation1_type= [[Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance|Archeological Site of Exceptional Importance]] | designation1_offname = Pontes with Trajan's Bridge | designation1_date = 28 March 1981 | designation1_number =AN 44<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nasledje.gov.rs/index.cfm/spomenici/pregled_spomenika?spomenik_id=43868|title=Информациони систем непокретних културних добара}}</ref>}} }} '''Trajan's Bridge''' ({{langx|ro|Podul lui Traian}}; {{langx|sr|Трајанов мост|translit=Trajanov most}}), also called '''Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube''', was a [[Roman segmental arch bridge]], the first bridge to be built over the lower [[Danube]] and considered one of the greatest achievements in [[Roman architecture]]. Though it was only functional for 165 years, it is often considered to have been the longest arch bridge in both total span and length for more than 1,000 years.<ref>The bridge seems to have been surpassed in length by another Roman bridge across the Danube, [[Constantine's Bridge (Danube)|Constantine's Bridge]], a little-known structure whose length is given at 2,437 m ({{harvnb|Tudor|1974b|p=139}}; {{harvnb|Galliazzo|1994|p=319}}). In China, the 6th century single-span [[Anji Bridge]] had a comparable span of {{convert|123|feet|m|disp=or}}.</ref> The bridge was completed in 105 AD and designed by Emperor [[Trajan]]'s architect [[Apollodorus of Damascus]] before the [[Second Dacian War]] to allow [[Roman army|Roman troops]] to cross the river.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Griggs Jr. |first=Francis E. |title=Trajan's Bridge: The World's First Long-Span Wooden Bridge |url=https://www.bscesjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/CEP-Vol-22-No-1-02.pdf |journal=Civil Engineering Practice}}</ref> Fragmentary ruins of the bridge's [[pier]]s are still in existence. {{stack|[[File:Podul lui Traian 2021 04.jpg|thumb|300px|Trajan's Bridge northern bank]]}} == The site == {{See also|Drobeta (castra)|Iron Gates}} [[File:Forts near Drobeta.png|thumb|Forts on the Danube near Drobeta]] [[File:Remains of the Trajan's Bridge on the right bank of Danube, Serbia (27251575447).jpg|thumb|250px|Remains of Trajan's Bridge on the south bank of the [[River Danube]], Serbia]] [[File:072 Conrad Cichorius, Die Reliefs der Traianssäule, Tafel LXXII (Ausschnitt 01).jpg|thumb|250px|Relief of the bridge on [[Trajan's Column]] showing the unusually flat segmental arches on high-rising [[Opus caementicium|concrete]] piers; in the foreground [[Roman emperor|emperor]] [[Trajan]] sacrificing by the [[Danube]]]] The bridge was situated east of the [[Iron Gates]], near the present-day cities of [[Drobeta-Turnu Severin]] in [[Romania]] and [[Kladovo]] in [[Serbia]]. Its construction was ordered by the [[Roman Emperor|Emperor]] [[Trajan]] as a supply route for the Roman legions fighting in [[Dacia]]. Construction of the bridge was part of a wider project, which included the digging of side canals so that [[whitewater rapids]] could be avoided to make the Danube safer for navigation enabling an effective river fleet, a string of defense posts and development of the intelligence service on the border.<ref>Šašel J. Trajan’s Canal at the Iron Gate. Journal of Roman Studies. 1973;63:80-85. doi:10.2307/299167 </ref> The remains of the embankment which protected the area during the construction of the canal (in a loop to the south of the Danube)<ref>Roman canal https://vici.org/vici/60617/</ref> show the magnitude of the works. The {{convert|3.2|km|abbr=on}} long canal bypassed the problematic section of the river in an arch-like style.<ref name=Politika/> Former canals eventually filled with sand, and empty [[shellfish|shells]] are regularly found in the ground.<ref name=magazin/> All these works, especially the bridge, served the purpose of preparing for the [[Second Dacian War|Roman invasion of Dacia]], which ended with Roman victory in 106 AD. The effect of finally defeating the Dacians and acquiring their [[gold mines]] was so great that Roman games celebrating the conquest lasted for 123 days, with 10,000 gladiators engaging in fights and 11,000 wild animals being killed during that period.<ref name=Politika/> The bridge was {{convert|1135|m|ft|abbr=on}} long (the Danube is now {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide in that area), {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|19|m|ft|abbr=on}} high, measured from the surface of the river. At each end was a Roman fort so that crossing the bridge was only possible through the camps. On the south bank, at the modern village of [[Kostol]] near Kladovo, the [[Pontes fort]] was built in 103, concurrently with the bridge, occupying several hectares. Remnants of the {{convert|40|m|abbr=on}} long castrum with thick ramparts are still visible today. A ''vicus'' (civilian settlement) grew up around it later. A bronze head of Emperor Trajan has been discovered in Pontes, part of a statue which was erected at the bridge entrance and is today kept in the [[National Museum in Belgrade]]. On the north bank is the [[Drobeta (castra)|Drobeta]] fort. It also had a bronze statue of Trajan.<ref name=magazin>{{ cite news | author = Slobodan T. Petrović | title = Стубови Трајановог моста | trans-title = Pillars of the Trajan's Bridge | newspaper = Politika-Magazin, No. 1068 | pages = 22–23 | language = sr | date = 18 March 2018 }}</ref> ==Design and construction== Apollodorus used wooden arches, each spanning {{convert|38|m|ft|abbr=on}}, set on twenty masonry pillars made of bricks, mortar, and [[pozzolana]] cement.<ref>The earliest identified Roman caisson construction was at Cosa, a small Roman colony north of Rome, where similar caissons formed a breakwater as early as the 2nd century BC: ''International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology'', 2002.</ref><ref>Fernández Troyano, Leonardo, "Bridge Engineering - A Global Perspective", Thomas Telford Publishing, 2003</ref> It was built unusually quickly (between 103 and 105), employing the construction of a wooden [[caisson (engineering)|caisson]] for each pier.<ref>In the first century BC, Roman engineers had employed wooden caissons in constructing the [[Herod the Great|Herodian]] harbour at Caesarea Maritima: Carol V. Ruppe, Jane F. Barstad, eds. ''International Handbook of Underwater Archaeology'', 2002, "Caesarea" pp505f.</ref> Apollodorus applied the technique of river flow relocation, using the principles set by [[Thales of Miletus]] some six centuries beforehand. Engineers waited for a low water level to dig a canal, west of the modern downtown of Kladovo. The water was redirected {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}} downstream from the construction site, through the lowland of {{ill|Ključ region|sr|Ključ (oblast)}}, to the location of the modern village of [[Mala Vrbica (Kladovo)|Mala Vrbica]]. Wooden pillars were driven into the river bed in a rectangular layout, which served as the [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] for the supporting [[Pier (architecture)|piers]], which were coated with clay. The hollow piers were filled with stones held together by [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]], while from the outside they were built around with [[Roman bricks]]. The bricks can still be found around the village of Kostol, retaining the same physical properties that they had 2 millennia ago. The piers were {{convert|44.46|m|abbr=on}} tall, {{convert|17.78|m|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|50.38|m|abbr=on}} apart.<ref name=Politika>{{Citation | author = Ranko Jakovljević | title = Srećniji od Avgusta, bolji of Trajana | newspaper = [[Politika]]-Kulturni dodatak | page = 05 | language = sr | date = 9 September 2017 }}</ref> It is considered today that the bridge construction was assembled on the land and then installed on the pillars. A mitigating circumstance was that the year the relocating canals were dug was very dry and the water level was quite low. The river bed was almost completely drained when the foundation of the pillars began. There were 20 pillars in total in an interval of {{convert|50|m|abbr=on}}. [[Oak]] wood was used and the bridge was high enough to allow ship transport on the Danube.<ref name=magazin/> The bricks also have a historical value, as the members of the [[Roman legions]] and [[Cohort (military unit)|cohorts]] which participated in the construction of the bridge carved the names of their units into the bricks. Thus, it is known that work was done by the legions of [[Legio IV Flavia Felix|IV Flavia Felix]], [[Legio VII Claudia|VII Claudia]], [[Legio V Macedonica|V Macedonica]] and [[Legio XIII Gemina|XIII Gemina]] and the cohorts of I Cretum, II Hispanorum, III Brittonum and I Antiochensium.<ref name=Politika/> == Tabula Traiana == {{unreferenced section|date=March 2023}} [[File:Trajanova tabla.tif|thumb|upright=1.4|Tabula Traiana and road, near [[Kladovo]], [[Serbia]], 1930s]] A Roman memorial plaque ("''Tabula Traiana''"), 4 metres wide and 1.75 metres high, commemorating the completion of Trajan's [[Roman road|military road]] is located on the Serbian side facing Romania near Ogradina, 29 km west of the bridge. In 1972, when the [[Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station]] was built (causing the water level to rise by about 35 m), the plaque was moved from its original location, and lifted to the present place. It reads: :IMP. CAESAR. DIVI. NERVAE. F<br>NERVA TRAIANVS. AVG. GERM<br>PONTIF MAXIMUS TRIB POT IIII <br>PATER PATRIAE COS III<br>MONTIBVS EXCISI(s) ANCO(ni)BVS<br>SVBLAT(i)S VIA(m) F(ecit) The text was interpreted by [[Otto Benndorf]] to mean: :Emperor Caesar son of the divine [[Nerva]], Nerva Trajan, the [[Augustus (honorific)|Augustus]], [[List of Imperial Roman victory titles|Germanicus]], [[Pontifex Maximus]], invested for the fourth time as [[Tribune]], [[Pater Patriae|Father of the Fatherland]], [[Consul]] for the third time, excavating mountain rocks and using wood [[Beam (structure)|beams]] has made this road. The Tabula Traiana was declared a ''[[Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)|Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance]]'' in 1979, and is protected by the [[Republic of Serbia]]. === Relocation === [[File:Traian's Table (Tabula Traiana).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The relocated Tabula Traiana. The inscription TABULA TRAIANA is modern.]] When the plan for the future hydro plant and its reservoir was made in 1965, it was clear that numerous settlements along the banks would be flooded in both Yugoslavia and Romania, and that historical remains, including the plaque, would also be affected. [[Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts]] urged for the plaque to be preserved and the government accepted the motion. The enterprise entrusted with the task of relocation was the mining company "[[Venčac]]" as its experts previously participated in the relocation of the [[Abu Simbel]] temple in [[Egypt]].<ref name=magazin1>{{cite news | author = Mikiša Mihailović | title = Спасавање Трајанове табле | trans-title = Preservation of the Tabula Traiana | newspaper = Politika-Magazin, No. 1130 | pages = 22–23 | language = sr | date = 26 May 2019}}</ref> First idea was to leave the plaque at its position and to build the [[Caisson (engineering)|caisson]] around it but the calculations showed this would not work. The idea of cutting the plaque in several smaller pieces in order to be moved was abandoned due to the quality of the rock of which it was made. The proposition of lifting it with the floating elevator "[[Veli Jože]]" was discarded, too. The motion of cutting the table in one piece and placing it somewhere else was rejected as the plaque would lose its authenticity.<ref name=magazin1/> In the end it was decided to dig in a new bed into the rock {{convert|22|m|abbr=on}} above the plaque's original location. The plaque was then cut in one piece with the parts of the surrounding rock and road. After being cut with the cable saws, the 350 tons heavy chunk was lifted to the new bed. Works began in September 1967 and were finished in 1969.<ref name=magazin1/> == Destruction and remains == [[File:Piciorul Podului lui Traian, malul românesc (19 august 2009).jpg|thumb|upright|The ruins in 2009, surrounded by a square concrete compound which was built to protect the monument from the rise of the water level following the construction of the [[Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station|Iron Gate II dam]], Romania]] The wooden superstructure of the bridge was dismantled by Trajan's successor, [[Hadrian]], presumably in order to protect the empire from barbarian invasions from the north.<ref>{{Citation|last=Opper|first=Thorsten|title=Hadrian: Empire and Conflict|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=9780674030954|page=[https://archive.org/details/hadrianempirecon0000oppe/page/67 67]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hadrianempirecon0000oppe/page/67}}</ref> The superstructure was destroyed by fire.<ref name=magazin/> The remains of the bridge reappeared in 1858 when the level of the Danube hit a record low due to the extensive drought.<ref name=magazin/> The twenty pillars were still visible. In 1906, the [[Internationalization of the Danube River|Commission of the Danube]] decided to destroy two of the pillars that were obstructing navigation. In 1932, there were 16 pillars remaining underwater, but in 1982 only 12 were mapped by archaeologists; the other four had probably been swept away by water. Only the entrance pillars are now visible on either bank of the Danube,<ref>[http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20822 Romans Rise from the Waters] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205023835/http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20822 |date=2006-12-05 }}</ref> one in Romania and one in Serbia.<ref name=magazin/> In 1979, Trajan's Bridge was added to the ''Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance'', and in 1983 on ''[[Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)|Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance]]'' list, and by that it is protected by the Republic of Serbia. {{Comparison_of_notable_bridges.svg}} == See also == * [[List of inscriptions in Serbia]] * [[List of Roman bridges]] * [[Trajan's Dacian Wars]] * [[Constantine's Bridge (Danube)]] * [[Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli]] == References == {{Reflist}} == Further reading == * {{Citation | last1 = Bancila | first1 = Radu | last2 = Teodorescu | first2 = Dragos | year = 1998 | contribution = Die römischen Brücken am unteren Lauf der Donau | editor-last = Zilch | editor-first = K. | editor2-last = Albrecht | editor2-first = G. | editor3-last = Swaczyna | editor3-first = A. |display-editors = 3 | editor4-last = Weber | editor4-first = J. | title = Entwurf, Bau und Unterhaltung von Brücken im Donauraum | series = 3. Internationale Donaubrückenkonferenz, 29–30 October | pages = 401–409 | publication-place = Regensburg }} * {{Citation | last = Galliazzo | first = Vittorio | title = I ponti romani. Catalogo generale | volume = 2 | year = 1994 | publisher = Edizioni Canova | location = Treviso | isbn = 88-85066-66-6 | pages = 320–324 (No. 646) }} * {{Citation | last = Griggs | first = Francis E. | title = Trajan's Bridge: The World's First Long-Span Wooden Bridge | journal = Civil Engineering Practice | volume = 22 | issue = 1 | pages = 19–50 | year = 2007 | issn = 0886-9685 }} * {{Citation | last = Gušić | first = Sima | year = 1996 | contribution = Traian's Bridge. A Contribution towards its Reconstruction | editor-last = Petrović | editor-first = Petar | title = Roman Limes on the Middle and Lower Danube | series = Cahiers des Portes de Fer | volume = 2 | pages = 259–261 | publication-place = Belgrade }} * {{Citation | last = O'Connor | first = Colin | title = Roman Bridges | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1993 | pages = 142–145 (No. T13), 171 | isbn = 0-521-39326-4 }} * {{Citation | doi = 10.1111/j.1095-9270.2008.00216.x | last = Serban | first = Marko | title = Trajan's Bridge over the Danube | journal = [[The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology]] | volume = 38 | issue = 2 | pages = 331–342 | year = 2009 | bibcode = 2009IJNAr..38..331S | s2cid = 110708933 }} * {{Citation | last = Tudor | first = D. | contribution = Le pont de Trajan à Drobeta-Turnu Severin | title = Les ponts romains du Bas-Danube | series = Bibliotheca Historica Romaniae Études | publisher = Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România | place = Bucharest | volume = 51 | year = 1974a | pages = 47–134 }} * {{Citation | last = Tudor | first = D. | contribution = Le pont de Constantin le Grand à Celei | title = Les ponts romains du Bas-Danube | series = Bibliotheca Historica Romaniae Études | publisher = Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România | place = Bucharest | volume = 51 | year = 1974b | pages = 135–166 }} * {{Citation | last = Ulrich | first = Roger B. | title = Roman Woodworking | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 2007 | pages = 104–107 | isbn = 978-0-300-10341-0 }} * {{Citation | last1 = Vučković | first1 = Dejan | last2 = Mihajlović | first2 = Dragan | last3 = Karović | first3 = Gordana | title = Trajan's Bridge on the Danube. The Current Results of Underwater Archaeological Research | journal = Istros | issue = 14 | year = 2007 | pages = 119–130 }} * {{cite web|author=Ранко Јаковљевић|year=2009|title=Трајанов мост код Кладова|publisher=Rastko|url=http://www.rastko.rs/istorija/delo/13195}} == External links == {{Commons category|Trajan's Bridge}} * [https://vimeo.com/52953688 Trajan's Bridge - 3D Animation] * [http://www.nonesuchexpeditions.com/nonesuch-features/Lost%20Danube/trajan%27s%20road/trajans%20road.htm Lost in the Danube - Trajan's Road] * {{Structurae|id=20001271|title=Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061205023835/http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=20822 Romans Rise from the Waters] – Excavations * [http://www.rastko.rs/rastko/delo/13195 Trajan's bridge near Kladovo] (Serbian) * [http://www.aquaetarchaeologia.org.rs/cp/125 Gallery 2003] * [http://www.aquaetarchaeologia.org.rs/cp/127 Gallery 2005] {{Crossings navbox | structure = [[List of crossings of the Danube|Bridges/Dams]] | place = [[Danube]] | bridge = Trajan's Bridge | upstream = [[Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station|Iron Gate I]] | downstream = [[Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station|Iron Gate II]]<br />[[Ostrovul Mare Bridge]] }} {{Roman bridges|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}} {{Cultural Heritage of Exceptional Importance}} [[Category:Bridges completed in the 2nd century]] [[Category:Bridges over the Danube]] [[Category:Bridges in Romania]] [[Category:Bridges in Serbia]] [[Category:Roman segmental arch bridges]] [[Category:Deck arch bridges]] [[Category:Demolished bridges]] [[Category:Drobeta-Turnu Severin]] [[Category:Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Serbia]] [[Category:Archaeological Sites of Exceptional Importance]] [[Category:Historic monuments in Mehedinți County]] [[Category:Timok Valley]] [[Category:Roman Dacia]] [[Category:103]] [[Category:105]] [[Category:Trajan]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Mehedinți County]] [[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Serbia]] [[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 3rd century]] [[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Romania]]
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