engleski

Multibeam and sidescan sonar application for determining the position and shape of the remains of Hadrian bridge on Drava river

During underwater archeological research on the Drava river in Osijek, the remains of a Roman stone bridge were documented. It was found that it were the remains of Hadrian's bridge. Hadrian was a Roman emperor in the period from 117 to 138 AD. The remains of a stone bridge have been known for many years and first records of them date from year 1777. In the year 1938 started the removal of the remains of the bridge due to their interference with the Drava river waterway. Later in the fall of year 1985 further removal of the pillars of the bridge was conducted, unfortunately with dynamite and excavators, and after mining, stone remains were removed by excavator to the river barge. Among the remains stone reliefs depicting Satire and Menada, the top railings of the bridge endings, profiled blocks, stone altar dedicated to Jupiter, and blocks with the hole for the lead-iron clamps were found. Until year 2008 when valuable statue of Jupiter was found in the Drava river near the site of Hadrian bridge, no research activities were conducted around the bridge. Also precise location of the bridge was unknown due to the speed of the river Drava and poor visibility due to large amounts of mud in the river (visibility 30cm). The paper shows the continuation of research, where for the purpose of getting the complete image of the remains of columns and their spacing, precise bathymetric map was created by means of multibeam echosounder and side scan sonar measurements (digital relief of the bottom). Also, a problem was the identification and re-position of the bridge remains since the precise position has never been documented, and aggravating factors were large deposits of the river Drava which very quickly covered the dynamited remains of the bridge. After creating these maps, information about the distance between the columns that are not equal to the pillars in the middle of the river and one on the side were obtained. These data should contribute to clearer image of the layout and structure of the bridge.

Hadrian bridge; hydrography; multibeam; side-scan sonar; Drava river

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