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Trajan's Bridge AI simulator
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Trajan's Bridge AI simulator
(@Trajan's Bridge_simulator)
Trajan's Bridge
Trajan's Bridge (Romanian: Podul lui Traian; Serbian: Трајанов мост, romanized: Trajanov most), also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube, was a Roman segmental arch bridge, on the modern Serbian - Romanian border, the first bridge to be built over the lower Danube and considered one of the greatest achievements in Roman architecture. Though it was functional for only 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.
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 troops to cross the river. Fragmentary ruins of the bridge's piers are still in existence.
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 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.
The remains of the embankment which protected the area during the construction of the canal (in a loop to the south of the Danube)[citation needed] show the magnitude of the works. The 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long canal bypassed the problematic section of the river in an arch-like style. Former canals eventually filled with sand, and empty shells are regularly found in the ground.
All these works, especially the bridge, served the purpose of preparing for the 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.
The bridge was 1,135 m (3,724 ft) long (the Danube is now 800 m (2,600 ft) wide in that area), 15 m (49 ft) wide, and 19 m (62 ft) 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 40 m (130 ft) 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.
Trajan's Bridge
Trajan's Bridge (Romanian: Podul lui Traian; Serbian: Трајанов мост, romanized: Trajanov most), also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube, was a Roman segmental arch bridge, on the modern Serbian - Romanian border, the first bridge to be built over the lower Danube and considered one of the greatest achievements in Roman architecture. Though it was functional for only 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.
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 troops to cross the river. Fragmentary ruins of the bridge's piers are still in existence.
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 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.
The remains of the embankment which protected the area during the construction of the canal (in a loop to the south of the Danube)[citation needed] show the magnitude of the works. The 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long canal bypassed the problematic section of the river in an arch-like style. Former canals eventually filled with sand, and empty shells are regularly found in the ground.
All these works, especially the bridge, served the purpose of preparing for the 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.
The bridge was 1,135 m (3,724 ft) long (the Danube is now 800 m (2,600 ft) wide in that area), 15 m (49 ft) wide, and 19 m (62 ft) 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 40 m (130 ft) 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.