Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov CIBv 2015 • Vol. 8 (57) Special Issue No. 1 - 2015

ROMAN ON THE LOWER PART OF THE

A. BARA1 S. KAISER 2

Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to present the Roman bridges built across the Romanian natural , the Danube, during the expansion. Some of these are less known than the famous 's in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. The construction of bridges on the lower part of the Danube showed the importance of conquering and administrating the ancient province of . The remaining evidences prove the technical solutions used by the Roman architects at a time when public works had developed.

Key words: Danube, bridge, .

1. Introduction explored the from the delta upstream but knew only the lower course, known as The Danube River flows through our Istros or Istria. The name Danubius can be country on around 1075 km, of which 225 found in the work of Aristotel, , km on Romanian territory exclusively. , Plinius the Second. “Istros” is Among the riparian countries, mentioned by Herodot and . Other has the longest access to the river, nations migrating along the stream called including the Danube Delta. Romania also the river Donau, Dunaj, Duna, Dunav, put into operation since 1986 the Danube – Dunarea, the name being transformed and Black Sea Channel (Cernavoda – modified according to the language of the Constanta). The Danube with the Main – country. channel forms Europe’s blue During the Roman Empire public works diagonal for river transports. Few are the had known a great development. Temples, permanent crossings built on the lower , , baths, aqueducts are well Danube (Figure 1). known even in our days. As a first priority To investigate the origin of the roads were constructed (“via vita”). A “DANUBE” name we have to go back to network of roads covered the entire surface the Celtic tribes who lived in the upper of the Roman Empire. 40000 km of Danube basin. The word “Danu” is of Celtic principals roads covered had been built. The origins and signifies “swift, rapid, violent, construction of roads and bridges reached a undisciplined”. Emperor Cesar in his work very high level during the period of the “De Bello Gallico” had named the stream TRAIAN (98 – 117 A.D.) Danubius. Phoenicians and Greeks had A main road starting from the north of

1 Faculty of Civil Engineering , Polytechnic University of Timisoara. 2 Faculty of Civil Engineering , Polytechnic University of Timisoara. 194 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov • Vol. 8 (57) Special Issue No.1 - 2015

Fig. 1. Roman Bridges on the lower Danube

During the Traian‘s rule the road reached Among these, there are five bridges that the zone of Turnu – Severin, the border of are related to the need of movement for the Roman Empire. On the other side of the purposes during the wars between Danube was Dacia. the Romans and the (the In 101, Emperor Traian started the first inhabitants of the territory of today’s war for conquering Dacia. The Romania) at the time of emperors crossed the Danube near Drobeta on a Dominitian and Traian. pontoon bridge. A series of wooden and The following part describes four of these stone bridges were built to provide access to bridges whose archeological evidences the ancient province of Dacia on the other survived until today. Due to their previous side of the great river Danube. Some of significance, these have been analyzed in them had a long exploitation, whereas the the last time, in the hope of discovering the others served only temporarily for military enigma of their technical solutions. purposes [3]. The majority of the bridges were built on 2. Cornelius Fuscus’ Pontoon Bridge the lower part of the Danube from the Iron from Vadin-Orlea Gates to the Black Sea (Figure 1).The most important of these are the following: The ruins of this bridge were mentioned - Cornelius Fuscus’ Pontoon Bridge from for the first time by the Italian-born scholar Vadin (86-87 A.D.); and eminent natural scientist Luigi F. - Traian’s pontoon Bridges in Lederata and Marsigli in his paperwork “The Description Dierna (101 A.D.); of the Danube”. He visited during his - Traian’s Bridge in Drobeta-Turnu Severin research on the Danube river banks the (103 – 105 A.D.); Roman fortress from Vadin (today - ’s bridge from Celei, Bulgarian location).He made a detailed the ancient -Sucidava (328 A.D.); description of the bridge built by the - The pontoon Bridges of Emperor Valens Dacians (and Thracians), providing a in Daphne (367 A.D.) and Noviodunum sketching of the position of the stone pillars (365 A.D.). and wooden piers (Figure 2). A. BARA, S. KAISER.: Roman bridges on the lower part of the Danube 195

Fig. 2. The ruins of the in -Orlea (after Marsigli 1691)

The ruins of the bridge can be seen even in would be necessary for finding more the present. Strong pillars were battered down answers concerning the historical and vertically in two rows across the river. technical nature of the pontoon bridge [1]. Perhaps it was used the same practical technique as the one that helped Cesar’s 3. Traian’s Pontoon Bridges from the legions to cross the Rhine. At Vidin-Orlea the Year 101 A.D. bridge stretches over a length of 1000-1100 m someplace where the water reaches 6-7 In the field of bridge constructions across meters depth. The pillars were probably the Danube, the conqueror of Dacia the introduced into the riverbed during summer Roman emperor Traian (98-117 A.D.) is with the help of a battering ram fixed on the well-known for the bridge of Apollodor of ships [3]. Damascus, one of the most important The crossing was made then on the ships construction work achieved by Romans. thus linked together. It is more than certain The interpretation of Traian’s Column in that it did not possessed vaults of wood or any gave many answers to different kind of deck. At the same time the navigation questions. was obstructed. Compared to the bridge In the spring of the year 101 A.D. across the Rhine, the pillars stood vertically emperor Traian started the first war for and were not inclined as in the solution of conquering Dacia and the Roman army permanent wooden bridges. crossed the Danube near Drobeta Turnu The pillars served for anchoring the ships Severin town on two pontoon bridges. This only. As it was only a short-term exploited is an archeological and logical fact military construction the bridge was, of confirmed by the scenes IV-V represented course, immediately dismantled, as to avoid a on the memorial Column (Figure 3). possible invasion. The fourth scene from the Column, Historical sources tell that, the year of the shows a military procession passing on the construction is the same with Cornelius bridge made of the six ships of the same Fuscus’ failed expedition in Dacia in 87 A.D. Further research of the underwater ruins 196 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov • Vol. 8 (57) Special Issue No.1 - 2015

of this bridge, between 103-105 A.D.

Fig. 4. Traian’s bridge over the Danube in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

Fig. 3. Scenes from Traian Column, Having a lengths of over 1200 m, showing legionaries crossing the Danube Traian’s bridge, astonished modern river on a pontoon bridge with timber researchers for the enigma of technical walkways building solution. The bridge was considered superior to all other bridges size and length bound together by wooden built by the Romans. Some hypothesis beams. An interesting outstanding about the bridge construction and its constructive element, is the of service life can be presented. masonry on the left of the scene,which Unfortunately, the monograph of the could only be the portal of the bridge bridge, written by Apollodor from situated on the right bank of the Danube. Damascus who was the architect and The stone blocks are sustained by two builder of the bridge, had been lost. The pillars with capitals. documents elaborated by the researchers of While the location of the first bridge is the bridge indicate that the more plausible known to be the ancient Lederata (in assumption regarding the bridge site present Ram) on the Serbian river side, the selection is the possibility of temporary second one is thought to be difficult to deviation of a part of the Danube; therefore appreciate. However these two locations some of the piers could be built on land. In were definitely chosen far one from the 1853, a great lowering of the Danube other, to avoid the unfavorable conditions offered to a team of Austrian specialists encountered at the narrow passage of the and to a Romanian engineer, the possibility Danube at “Cazane” near the Iron Gates. to make an inspection on site. The investigations performed in 1858 4. Traian’s Bridge Over the Danube at showed that the lower part of the bridge Drobeta-Turnu Severin piers, differently damaged in time, were made of broken stone masonry with mortar After defeating Decebal’s army and binder. The whole structure being peace conclusion, Traian realized that surrounded by a strong walls made by domination over Dacia province could not blocks of crushed stone. The ruined piers be achieved without building a fixed length varied from 21.50m to 22.75m and bridge across the Danube. Consequently their width from 14.22m to 14.85m [2]. the need of movement for military Further information concerning the purposes and the need to administrate the substructure of the bridge, was obtained in newly conquered province, located on the 1909 when the Romanian Hydraulic Danube left side, imposed the construction Service ordered the demolition of two A. BARA, S. KAISER.: Roman bridges on the lower part of the Danube 197 ruined piers located close to the Romanian and with wooden planks inside, which shore, because they obstructed the would lead to the idea of a cofferdam. On navigation along the river. On this the outline of this enclosure regularly occasion when divers worked in the wrought stone blocks were identified, in Danube area, they discovered traces of the form of a dry masonry. Inside of this wooden caissons used for the construction masonry blocks of Roman cement concrete of the piers. The piers were erected by two were found. Some of these blocks would methods: have pieces of broken bricks inside as 1. A part of the piers were constructed on aggregates. The concrete and stone blocks the land subsequent to the Danube of the foundation were tied together by deviation along the southern channel; means of lattices made from oak tree 2. The other piers located in the Danube trunks. The foundation was laid directly on were constructed with open wooden the bottom of the Danube River (Figure5). caissons provided with two walls sustained They would support the superstructure, by wooden piles, between which hydraulic that was conceived by wooden arches concrete (mortar) was cast. The sediment (with a remarkable span of 51 m). The inside of the caissons was removed out, the abutments are today the best preserved ground consolidated by broken stones elements among the ruins of the bridge (Figure 5). thanks to their special masonry. The images shown on Traian's Column in Rome, as well as ancient coins clearly indicate a wooden structure combined with arch structural elements (Figure 6).

Fig. 6. Scene from Traian's Column in Rome

After the demolition of the piers, the oak Fig. 5. Bridge end with portal and beams were preserved at the museum from foundation (reconstruction) Drobeta - Turnu Severin. In 1906 at the National Romanian Exhibition, the French The most difficult aspect of the engineer Edgar Duperex, tried to restore construction seems to have been the the bridge; he achieved a model scale foundation of the piers on the riverbed. 1:100, completed with the portals of the These 20 piers were provided with front- bridge (Figure4). This model is nowadays breakwaters and downstream-breakwaters in the museum from Drobeta-Turnu of the same shape. On the outside of the Severin) [2]. pier two rows of wooden piles were At the end of these considerations, some identified having a square cross section hypothesis about the destruction of the 198 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov • Vol. 8 (57) Special Issue No.1 - 2015 bridge is presented; there are two theories: subsequent to Traian's death in the year 118 the destruction of the superstructure was ordered by the emperor Hadrianus his successor. Probably this decision was taken when the barbarians got into Dacia; the second view indicates that the bridge destruction was caused by the floods. We do not know the exact details. (b) As a conclusion, the bridge over the Danube in Drobeta - Turnu Severin was Fig. 7. Final span of the bridge one of the most important constructions of (reconstruction) the Roman empire. It is sure that the bridge was not built only for a single military 6. Conclusions company; it was constructed for years on the purpose of strong connection with the Historical data and archeological territories over the Danube. evidences prove that a significant number Even nowadays the ruins of one pier can of bridges were built on the lower part of be admired on the Romanian river side. the Danube, in comparison with other regions situated at the border of the ancient 5. Constantine the Great’s Bridge from Roman Empire. These bridges were Celei constructed in this area on the purpose of achieving a strong connection between Information about this bridge is found in Dacia province and the Roman Empire. the late Roman literature. The ruins of this bridge can be observed until today but in a very modest condition. The bridge can be References also easily located between the Bulgarian village Ghigi and Celei (near ) in 1. Tudor D.:Podurile romane de la Romania (Figure 7 a).At that time two Dunarea de jos(”Roman Bridges over prosperous cities existed here: Oescus on the lower Danube”Romanian Academy the right, respectively, Sucidava on the left Publishing House,1971,). bank of the Danube [1]. 2. Popa N., Bancila R., Florea The bridge was inaugurated by S.:”Traian’s Bridge over the Danube Constantine the Great in 328 A.D. and it at Drobeta Turnu Severin”First realized a permanent contact with the International Conference Bridges on northern Danubian territories. the Danube, Vienna- Bratislava- Archeological discoveries and historical Budapest, September 1992. research conducted to the same technical 3. Florea S., Ionescu C.: Podul creaţie, solution adopted for Traian’s bridge trăire şi cunoaştere (“The bridge: (Figure 7 b). creation, passion and knowledge” [Vol. 1])