The bridges of ancient Eleutherna

Eleutherna was founded in a naturally fortified location flanked by two rivers. There are two known bridges at Eleutherna. One spans the eastern river, while the second is located below the point at which the two rivers join and is preserved nearly in its entirety. The bridges formed corbelled triangular arches and were built with large limestone blocks in dry masonry, roughly aligned in straight courses. The smaller bridge led to the centre of the ancient city and was probably the earlier of the two. The fact that it was not built on bedrock and its relative age may have contributed to its collapse. The corbel arch of the smaller bridge is steeper than the corbel arch of the larger and is comparable to arches used in the late Classical period. This suggests a more advanced technology for the larger bridge, since flatter arches entail a higher risk. The larger bridge was damaged by a storm in 1883. It was probably the same storm that caused the collapse of the smaller bridge, although this may have been deliberately destroyed. The smaller bridge seems to have been built during the late Classical period and the larger one during Hellenistic times when a major construction project took place at Eleutherna.