The Eurymedon Bridge () is a
Roman bridge
The ancient Romans were the first civilization to build large, permanent bridges. Early Roman bridges used techniques introduced by Etruscan immigrants, but the Romans improved those skills, developing and enhancing methods such as arches and k ...
over the river
Eurymedon (modern
Köprüçay River
Köprüçay, ancient Eurymedon (), is a river that is situated in Antalya Province, Turkey, and empties into the Mediterranean.
At its mouth, in the 460s BC (the actual date is highly disputed), the Delian League, Athenian general Cimon defeated ...
) near
Selge in
Pisidia
Pisidia (; , ; ) was a region of ancient Asia Minor located north of Pamphylia, northeast of Lycia, west of Isauria and Cilicia, and south of Phrygia, corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Antalya in Turkey. Among Pisidia's set ...
in southern
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
It is part of the road winding up from the coastal region
Pamphylia
Pamphylia (; , ''Pamphylía'' ) was a region in the south of Anatolia, Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean to Mount Taurus (all in modern-day Antalya province, Turkey). It was bounded on the ...
to the Pisidian hinterland.
Located 5 km north of the village Beşkonak in a sparsely settled area, the bridge crosses the Eurymedon high above the valley bottom.
The excellently preserved structure is 14 m long and 3.5 m wide (with a roadway of 2.5 m).
The
clear span of its single
arch
An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
is c. 7 m, the thickness of its
voussoir
A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...
s, which were set without the use of
mortar, 60 cm.
The building technique and the sturdy stonework point to a construction date in the 2nd century AD, a time when Selge was flourishing.
Forty-two km downstream at
Aspendos
Aspendos or Aspendus ( Pamphylian: ΕΣΤϜΕΔΥΣ; Attic: Ἄσπενδος) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Antalya province of Turkey. The site is located 40 km east of the modern city of Antalya.
It was situated on the Eurymedon Ri ...
, the Eurymedon is crossed by
another extant old bridge.
Gallery
File:Eurymedon Bridge 5066.jpg,
File:Eurymedon Bridge 5058.jpg,
File:Eurymedon Bridge 5051.jpg,
File:Köprülü Kanyon 06 04 2016 Oluk Köprü.jpg,
File:Eurymedon Bridge, Selge, Turkey. Pic 19.jpg,
See also
*
List of Roman bridges
This is a list of Roman bridges. The Roman Empire, Romans were the world's first major bridge builders. The following constitutes an attempt to list all known surviving remains of Roman bridges.
A Roman bridge in the sense of this article in ...
*
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...
*
Roman engineering
The ancient Romans were famous for their advanced engineering accomplishments. Technology for bringing running water into cities was developed in the east, but transformed by the Romans into a technology inconceivable in Greece. The architecture ...
References
Sources
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External links
{{Bridges in Turkey
Roman bridges in Turkey
Deck arch bridges
Stone bridges in Turkey
Pamphylia
Pisidia
Buildings and structures in Antalya Province
Arch bridges in Turkey