Aesepus Bridge
40.27666666666727.603333333333Koordinaten: 40 ° 16 ' 36 "N, 27 ° 36' 12" E
F1
Romans road to Cyzicus
Aisepos ( Gonen Çayı )
The Aesepus Bridge (Turkish: Güvercin Köprüsü, "Dove Bridge ") was a late ancient bridge over the river Aisepos ( Gonen Çayı ) in Mysia in Asia Minor ( present-day north-western Turkey). It is remarkable, especially for the advanced hollow chamber system, which can be found such as the Makestosbrücke in other late antique bridge construction in the region. In a field study in the early 20th century, they found the four main arches on the front collapsed, whereas almost all the pillars, and the seven smaller arches were still standing. On current recordings you can still see the two pillars of stumps in the river bed, while the rest of the structural condition of the bridge is difficult to assess.
Location and construction
The Aesepus Bridge is located in the northwest of present-day Turkey 8 km air- line distance north of Sariköy, about 5.6 km upstream from the mouth of Gonen Çayı in the Marmara Sea, just above the point where the narrow river valley opens to the coastal plain and the modern road bridge the National Road 200 to Gonen Çayı crossed. In antiquity, the Aesepus Bridge belonged to a Roman road that ran right through Mysia to the coastal city of Cyzicus. Parts of the road that was paved with small, 13-15 cm deep round stones in the 19th century for the traffic between the succession settlement Bandırma ( Panderma ) and Boghashehr were used.
A first investigation report on the Aesepus Bridge published the English archaeologist Frederick William Hasluck 1906, in which he related to similar hollow bridges in Mysia as the White Bridge and the Makestosbrücke, and the Constantine bridge, put the structure. Based on the structural relationship he dated the Bridge Quartet in the early 4th century AD in the era of Constantine the Great († 337 AD).
However, the bridge researchers Galliazzo According to Italian, the characteristic alternating brick - stone - fine masonry of the arch work ( see photo of the arch at the eastern abutment ) rather on a early Byzantine building from the second half of the 5th or the first of the 6th century, in the era of the Emperor Justinian, towards. Unique Roman origin in his view, only the pier foundations and the Anrampungen with their smaller arches.
Construction
Of the four main arches over the river Hasluck was no longer standing in front of, but both banks of ramps and almost all bridge piers had to be fully, only from the west bank of the third, located in the middle of the river piers had completely disappeared. The exposed bridge body has arranged parallel slit-like cavities which extend longitudinally drag below the road surface through the bridge and should lead to a reduction of resting on the arches dead load in the upper pillar area four. The piers are protected on both sides by large breakwater with pointed towers.
The bridge reaches a width of 5.60 m and a total length of about 158 m. The span of the third and seventh arch opening specified by Hasluck approximately 12.20 m, respectively. The exterior cladding consists of Aesepus Bridge including breakwaters and cavity design of granite blocks, backfilling of quarry stones in mortar composite. On the top stones of the cavities which largely undamaged pavement is on, which is composed of large, partly rectangular stones.
The inroad in the West is limited by the pending mountainside. Her two arches, one of which is semi- arc shape, were built from brick with brick, while the outer voussoirs of alternating stone - brick - layers consist, as they are also characteristic of the Makestosbrücke. The 58 m long Ostrampe rests on five arches of decreasing size, and the overgrown vegetation arch was reconstructed only hypothetically 9 of Hasluck. At the rising of the ramp are - similar to the Sangariusbrücke - the remains of an exedra of brick, by which the path on both sides suggests a bow; next to it is a 80 cm high cylindrical stone, could have been held on the repairs.
Gallery
All images around 1905:
- Mean pillar (view from north)
- End of the eastern abutment
- Arch at the east abutment