Bridges That have Bridged Civilisations

Bridges are taken for granted. They, it is presumed, will be there wherever humans live and set habitations.
Perhaps, any structure that connects an inaccessible part where men want to go can be called a bridge. From this perspective, the bridges have been in existence since civilisation itself. Yet, larger, organised and planned structures evolved over time. The quest for expansion of cultivable land and the innate hunger to conquer unknown terrains may have spurred the need to build such structures.
The Mesopotamians are credited in history to have constructed the first big bridges. These early bridges were simple structures made from wooden logs, stones, mud and dirt. Naturally, bridges from this time period do not survive. A few, though, defied the nature and still stand proud, imperious.
The Bridges That Were
The Karamagara Bridge in present day Turkey, commonly believed to be the oldest surviving bridge, was built sometime in the 5th or 6th century during the era of the Byzantine Empire. The bridge consisted of a single pointed arch and is possibly the earliest known example of a pointed arch bridge. It was part of larger Roman road that led to the city of Melitene in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The bridge no longer used now, withstood the ravages of time for over 1500 years till it was sadly submerged after the completion of the Keban Dam in 1975.
Barring exceptional few, the oldest existing bridges in the world were created by the ancient Romans, who are considered the greatest bridge builders of antiquity. Some of these bridges are still used today and have become historical landmarks.
Let us take a journey to some of these structures that have taken on themselves countless footprints of time, and preserve in their hallowed bosoms the kaleidoscopic images of tumultuous events and extra ordinary men.
Arkadiko: The World’s Oldest Bridge in Use
Arkadiko Bridge or Kazarma Bridge enjoys the privileged position of the oldest arch bridges still in use. Located in Argolis, Greece, it falls on the modern road from Tiryns to Epidauros on the Peloponnese, Greece. It is presumed to have been built during the Greek Bronze Age, or around 1,300 BC, which makes it one of the oldest bridges still in existence and in use today.
The arch bridge was built using Cyclopean masonry, with limestone boulders, smaller stones, and little pieces of tile assembled tightly together without mortar. It is 22 meters long, 5.6 meters wide, and 4 meters tall. The bridge leaves a small culvert opening, about one meters wide, at its base. The width of the roadway on the top is about 2.5 meters, allowing a modern car to comfortably pass over, although the approach to the bridge is now covered with vegetation. Due to the bridge’s style and the specific way it was built, archaeologists believe it was originally meant for use by horse-drawn chariots.
The Arkadiko Bridge represents a style that was in vogue during those times. Five such bridges have been located, four close to Arkadiko itself. They have the same Mycenaean corbel arches, all belonging to the same Bronze Age highway between the two cities, and all of similar design and age. One of them is the Petrogephyri bridge, which crosses the same stream 1 km to the west of the Arkadiko bridge. Similar in size and appearance, the structure has a larger span and a little higher vault. It, too, is still used as a local track.
A fifth, well-preserved Mycenaean bridge is located in the wider region at Lykotroupi in northern Argolis, where it was part of another Mycenaean main road. Its measurements are close to the Arkadiko Bridge: 5.20 meters wide at the bottom, 2.40 meters at the top and with a corbelled arch span of a little more than a meter. The road still features curbs for guiding fast-moving chariots.
These antiquated structures, hallowed and sanctified by the folk lore and aglow with historic legacy; defying inundation by the shifting sands of time, stand as a proud testimony of the spirit, struggle and strength of human endeavour and venture.