Arkadiko Bridge

Arkadiko Bridge (Kazarma Bridge) Arkadiko
Arkadiko or Kazarma Bridge
Coordinates	37°35′37″N 22°56′15″E / 37.59363°N 22.937556°E / 37.59363; 22.937556
Carries	Mycenaean road Tiryns–Epidauros
Locale	Arkadiko, Argolis, Greece
Characteristics
Design	Corbel arch bridge
Material	Cyclopean stone
Total length	22 m
Width	2.50 m
Height	4 m
Longest span	Ca. 1 m
No. of spans	1
History
Opened	Ca. 1300-1190 BC (LHIII)
Location

The Arkadiko Bridge or Kazarma Bridge is a Mycenaean bridge near the modern road from Tiryns to Epidauros in Argolis on the Peloponnese, Greece. The stone crossing, which is dated to the Greek Bronze Age, is one of the oldest arch bridges still in existence which is still crossable today. It is the oldest preserved bridge in Europe.^[1][2]

The corbel arch bridge was constructed during the Mycenaean Period in a typical Cyclopean style contemporary to the Late Helladic period (III) (ca. 1300–1190 BC). The bridge, which is 22 m (72 ft) long, 5.60 m (18.4 ft) wide at the base and 4 m (13 ft) high, spans a 1 m (3 ft 3 in) culvert. The width of the roadway is about 2.50 metres (8 ft 2 in).^[2]

Arkadiko Bridge was part of a military highway between the two cities of Tiryns to Epidauros which formed part of a wider Hellenic road network. The sophisticated layout of the bridge and the alignment of the road indicate that the bridge could be used by chariots.^[2] Three thousand years later, the bridge remains in local use.^[3]