Eleutherna Bridge

Ancient bridge near Eleutherna, Greece

35°20′17″N 24°40′15″E / 35.33806°N 24.67083°E / 35.33806; 24.67083CarriesFootpath to EleuthernaCrossesConfluence of Pharangitis and Chalopota streamsLocalePrines, Crete, GreeceCharacteristicsDesignCorbel arch bridgeMaterialLimestoneTotal length9.35 mWidth5.05−5.2 mHeight4−4.2 mLongest span3.95 mNo. of spans1HistoryConstruction endHellenistic periodLocation Map

The Eleutherna Bridge is an ancient Greek corbel arch bridge near the Cretan town of Eleutherna, Greece.^[1] A similar second bridge standing a short distance south of it collapsed toward the end of the 19th century, with only very few traces remaining.^[2]

Description

The well-preserved structure has a single span of 3.95 m, which is quite large for a false arch. The opening is cut from the unmortared limestone blocks in the shape of an isosceles triangle, the height of which is 1.84 m. The overall length of the bridge measures 9.35 m. Its width varies from 5.1 to 5.2 m, with the structure converging slightly towards its center point above the arch (5.05 m width there). The height is between 4 and 4.2 m.^[3]

History

The bridge, which is still in use, was first described by the Englishman T.A.B. Spratt in his Travels and Researches in Crete, after he had paid a visit to the site in 1853.^[4] At the time, another ancient bridge with a triangular arch was still standing a few hundred metres away, but, judging from a later report, was destroyed some unknown time before 1893.^[5]

Date

While there is general agreement that the two bridges of Eleutherna date to the pre-Roman period, a more precise dating is hampered by the lack of proper finds.^[6] According to Nakassis, the extant, northern bridge was built sometime during the Hellenistic period,^[7] while the Italian scholar Galliazzo dates the construction more precisely to the end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd century BC.^[8] For the smaller, now collapsed southern bridge Nakassis cautiously supports a late Classical date.^[9]

References

^ Briegleb 1971, p. 258; Galliazzo 1995, pp. 37f.; Nakassis 2000
^ Nakassis 2000, pp. 360
^ All data: Nakassis 2000, p. 358
^ Nakassis 2000, pp. 359f.
^ Nakassis 2000, pp. 360, 363
^ Nakassis 2000, p. 365, fn. 54
^ Nakassis 2000, pp. 364f.
^ Galliazzo 1995, pp. 37f.
^ Nakassis 2000, pp. 364–365

Sources

Briegleb, Jochen (1971), "Die vorrömischen Steinbrücken des Altertums", Technikgeschichte, 38 (3): 255–260 (258)
Galliazzo, Vittorio (1995), I ponti romani, vol. 1, Treviso: Edizioni Canova, pp. 37f, ISBN 88-85066-66-6
Nakassis, Athanassios (2000), "The Bridges of Ancient Eleutherna", The Annual of the British School at Athens, 95: 353–365, doi:10.1017/s006824540000472x, S2CID 112648240