When he wrote this so bluntly to Hadrian, the emperor was both vexed and exceedingly grieved because he had fallen into a mistake that could not be righted, and he restrained neither his anger nor his grief, but slew the man. Trajan’s Bridge that is also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube is a fixed bridge between Drobeta and Pontes that was built by Apollodorus in 103-105 over the Danube, on the order of Trajan after a long battle that ended with the Roman victory and armistice in 102 AD. Attempts to recognize Apollodorus' hand in the Pantheon or buildings in Ostia have been equally unsuccessful. ad 98–125 c. ). OLLODORUS OF DAMASCUS is a notable figure in the annals of Roman architecture.1 As the chief engineer in Trajan's Dacian Wars, he was responsible for the great bridge over the Danube and wrote a description of it.2 After the war He was the only great Roman architect whose name and complete works are known, also Because in Rome architects never signed their work, in order not to obscure the merit of the emperor who ordered it. It must also be noted that Apollodorus' advise was accepted: the temple of Venus and Roma was in fact build on high ground, and still dominates the Sacred Way, and there is a basement that could be used to store machines for the amphitheater (= the Colosseum). The reason assigned was that he had been guilty of some misdemeanor, but the true reason was that once when Trajan was consulting him on some point about the buildings he had said to Hadrian, who had interrupted with some remark: "Be off, and draw your gourds. Image sourse: https://collections.library.nd.edu, Info sourse: https://www.romanoimpero.com Info sourse: https://www.encyclopedia.com Info sourse: http://www.treccani.it. In contrast to the Greeks, the Romans subject matter more focused on the ruler of the time. ( fl. As a Greek engineer, Apollodorus of Damascus designed several works which include the Trajan’s bridge which passed over the Danube (Blyth, 127). Built by the emperor Trajan with the spoils of war obtained from the conquest of Dacia, and inaugurated, according to the Ostian Fasti, in 112, the Forum was arranged parallel to the Forum of Caesar and perpendicularly to that of Augustus. Unfortunately, the sanctuary was found on the opposite end of the forum. Apollodorus of Damascus. Some leftovers of the wonderful bridge remain near Drobeta in Romania. Apollodorus built the bridge of 1135 m in length, 15 m in width, 19 m in height, made totally in wood, and supported by the pillars deeply embedded in the bottom of the river. Very elegant, it was erected by the Senate and the people of Rome in 100-116 AD by Apollodorus of Damascus in Turkish marble, coming from the quarries of the island of Marmara, in honor of the emperor who had the port of the city expanded, at his own expense, improving the docks and fortifications. H.B. You don't understand any of these matters." The Roman architect Apollodorus of Damascus is mentioned in only two ancient sources, but we can also identify several of his buildings. Scholars have tried to establish Apollodorus' own style and identify other buildings. You can see previous posts from here => Shabby Chic Style, Tim Berners Lee and The invention of the Web, Trompe-l’œil / Deceive The Eye – i Design. He used the common brick construction technique: cement structure covered with external brick layers. Secondly, in regard to the statues, he said that they had been made too tall for the height of the cella. Image sourse: https://www.britannica.com. His major works were conducted in Trajan where he constructed the Trajan’s temple, as well as, the Trajan’s walls in Rome Apollodorus had a significant influence on the Roman Imperial Style. The first source is Cassius Dio: [The emperor Hadrian] first banished and later put to death Apollodorus, the architect, who had built the various creations of Trajan in Rome: the forum, the odeum and the gymnasium. This monument is mentioned by Procopius: The Roman Emperor Trajan, being of an impetuous and active temperament, seemed to be filled with resentment that his realm was not unlimited, but was bounded by the Danube. Fiorella Festa Farina, Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Damascus, described the technical prowess of Apollodorus as stemming from his cultural roots, and that he owed his mastery to "Nabataean culture filtered through Greek modes of thought." The inscriptions, still legible, had gilt bronze letters, friezes and statues which were seized by Saracens in 848. To the left of Trajan stood the statue of Plotina, his wife, and to the right that of Ulpia Marciana, his sister. The architect’s father probably entered Trajan’s father’s clientele while he was in Syria. of Trajan, and a hitherto unidentified Odeum. This page was created in 2010; last modified on 20 May 2020. With the reliefs of the column Roman art further developed the innovations of the Flavian era, coming to definitively detach itself from the Hellenistic furrow, up to an autonomous production, and reaching absolute heights, not only of Roman civilization but of ancient art in general. Numerous researchers assume that Apollodorus had deviated the course of the Danube thus, causing a decrease in the level of the river. The Arch, recently restored and properly illuminated, is one of the best preserved to this day, and still maintains the momentum and elegance of the past.. So he was eager to span it with a bridge that he might be able to cross it and that there might be no obstacle to his going against the barbarians beyond it. Dewing.]. The piers were built of bricks, stone, and pozzolan, coming from Italy, but it is not known which method the architect had implemented to work underwater. The presence of the Temple of Trajan and Plotina, added by Hadrian, seems to have been ascertained, after various alternative proposals that have proved unfounded, below Palazzo Valentini, where it was traditionally located.