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The Arkadiko Bridge or the Bridge to the Barracks

Leof. Asklipiou 27, Arkadiko 210 52, Greece

The Arkadiko Bridge (Greek name Γέφυρα του Αρκαδικού), or the Bridge to the Barracks, is one of the oldest arch bridges in the world.
World: The oldest bridges still in use
photo
Jermaine

The oldest known bridge is the Kazarma or Arkadiko Bridge, located in Argolis, on the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece, dating back to the Mycenaean era, around 1300 BCE. It was part of a military and trade route that connected the city-states of Mycenae, Argos, and Tiryns with the port of Palea Epidavros. The bridge has survived to this day in its original form. It is located near the village of Arkadikon in the municipality of Epidavros, on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.

This bridge, along with three others from the same period (although less well preserved), allowed chariots to pass, thus serving as evidence of the central authority of Mycenae over other cities in the region. These bridges were part of a single Bronze Age road and share the same design and age. One of them (the Petrogefiri Bridge) is located one kilometer to the west and spans the same once-existing water stream as the Arkadiko Bridge. The local population still uses these bridges, which attests to their extraordinary durability and successful design—the Arkadiko Bridge has survived millennia and numerous earthquakes.

The bridge has survived to this day in its original form. It is located near the village of Arkadikon in the municipality of Epidavros, on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.

This is an arched bridge built from limestone using techniques of corbel vaulting and cyclopean masonry. The length of the bridge is 22 meters, the width at the base is about 5.6 meters, and the height is 4 meters. The width of the roadway is about 2.5 meters, allowing chariots to pass—the bridge still preserves guiding curbs that kept the chariots on the correct path. It consists of an arch with a projection made of cyclopean blocks laid without mortar, characteristic of constructions of that time. The height of the arch for water passage is one meter. The bridge has flat lower platforms that stabilize the walls of the bridge vault and protect the bridge from water erosion.

The second name, "Bridge to the Kazarma," was given because near the bridge, on a hill 28 meters high, lie the ruins of a barracks—a small fortification with stone walls (2.5 meters wide, preserved height 5.2 meters) and four round towers. The structure dates back to the 4th century BCE.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkadiko_Bridge

https://amusementlogic.ru/2022/04/13/the-oldest-bridges-in-the-world/

photo
Jermaine

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