Rhodes Footbridge

The Rhodes Footbridge is an ancient Greek arch bridge in the city of Rhodes, Greece [1]. Dating to the 4th century BC or early Hellenistic period, the modest structure represents the oldest known Greek bridge with a voussoir arch [1]. The Rhodes Footbridge was unearthed in 1966−67 close to the eastern harbour of the city of Rhodes, the Akandia Bay [1]. There, an artificial channel of 2.15 m depth ran parallel to the ancient city walls, separated by an 11 m wide street running in between [1]. The sidewalls of the conduit were made of at least four layers of poros stone blocks, the same material also employed for the arch [1]. Nearly at its midpoint, the canal is crossed by an 8 m broad arch of wedge-shaped stones which served as a footbridge [1]. The curved opening has a single span of 2.8 m, identical to the width of the canal [1]. Its surprisingly low rise, in the order of 1 to 3−4, gives it the appearance of a segmental or even multi-centered arch, of which it is the only known example in Greek architecture [1].