Oldest Bridges in the World – The First Bridge Ever Built

What is the oldest bridge in the world? Can we know the oldest bridge in the world? Which country is home to the world’s oldest bridge? This article will examine these questions and more while discussing fifteen of the oldest bridges in the world. We will take a look at their location, their brief history, and how they were designed. Keep reading to learn more about some of the oldest bridges in the world!

15 of the Oldest Bridges in the World

The world is absolutely full of bridges. Bridges are some of the earliest architectural marvels that humans were able to create. Unlike regular buildings, the construction of a bridge is typically far more precarious in nature. Bridges are designed to cross expanses that would otherwise be too difficult to cross, such as rivers. This means that bridges are inherently constructed around certain constraints, and those constraints have led to some fascinating structures over the years. So, let’s have a look at some of the oldest bridges in the world and what makes them so special.

Band-e Kaisar (260 – 270 CE) in Shushtar; Morteza Hashemi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Arkadiko Bridge (1300 – 1190 BCE) in Argolis

The Arkadiko Bridge is, quite probably, the oldest bridge ever built (that is still standing). We cannot know whether or not there have been older bridges as architectural structures can collapse and vanish with time, but this particular bridge is located in Greece, and it is one of the oldest preserved bridges in the world, and it is also still usable. This bridge was, specifically, part of the Hellenic period, and an aspect of the road network created by that era of Greek civilization.

The bridge is not particularly long, but it is well over 3000 years old at the time of writing, and so it should get a bit of a free pass as one of the oldest stone bridges ever constructed.

Arkadiko Bridge (1300 – 1190 BCE) in Argolis; Kritheus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tarr Steps (Possibly 1000 BCE) in Somerset

The Tarr Steps is a rather adorable bridge that crosses the River Barle. This particular bridge is a clapper bridge and is made up of stones laid into the river to allow for it to be used as a crossing. The actual history of this particular clapper bridge is also one that’s up for debate, as some argue that it is a medieval bridge, but there is also evidence to suggest that it dates back as far as 1000 BCE. It isn’t a particularly long or architecturally complex bridge, but it has served as one of the oldest in the United Kingdom, and a traveler can still traverse the stones if they so desire.

Tarr Steps (Possibly 1000 BCE) in Somerset; Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Exmoor National Park (Devon-Somerset, UK), Tarr Steps — 2013 — 4” / CC BY-SA 4.0

Caravan Bridge (850 BCE) in İzmir

The Caravan Bridge in Turkey is a staggeringly ancient bridge that crosses the Meles River. Thanks to its incredible age and the fact that it is still in use to this day means that it is one of the oldest bridges in the world that is still usable. In addition, it is designed around an arched design with large stone slabs for crossing.

This bridge is also perhaps best known because it features in the work of the ancient Greek poet Homer, who was also born along the river Meles.

Caravan Bridge (850 BCE) in İzmir; Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pons Aemilius (179 – 142 BCE) in Rome

The Pons Aemilius is a bridge located in Rome, and it was the very first stone bridge to ever cross the Tiber River. This makes it one of the most important early architectural feats of the ancient Roman civilization and an ancient symbol of the architectural prowess of the Romans. The site was originally occupied by a wooden bridge, but that was eventually replaced with one made of stone. Sadly, while the original bridge made use of six arches for its design, the current state of it means that only one of those arches still remains. The bridge has even become known as the Broken Bridge, and it is not usable in its present state.

Pons Aemilius (179 – 142 BCE) in Rome; Dipietroff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pons Fabricius (62 BCE) in Rome

The Pons Fabricius is another ancient Roman bridge that is actually located within Rome. This particular bridge also takes a certain pride and place within the history of Roman architecture as it is the oldest Roman bridge that still actually survives to this day in its original state. The bridge is over 2000 years old, yet it has retained its two large arches and its original appearance.

It has actually been restored numerous times throughout history, but all restoration efforts always kept it in its original state.

Pons Fabricius (62 BCE) in Rome; Deensel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ponte San Lorenzo (47 – 30 BCE) in Padua

The Ponte San Lorenzo is one of the oldest bridges in the world and it is located in Italy. This particular bridge was actually constructed by the precursor to the Roman Empire, the Roman Republic. This particular bridge is an example of a segmental-arched bridge, and it is one of the oldest bridges of this variety in the world. It extends to a length of 53.3 m (or 175 ft) and it was designed to form part of the road network that would connect various cities and locations in Northern Italy. Today, the bridge is mostly hidden as the region has been urbanized in recent centuries.

Pont-Saint-Martin (14 – 27 CE) in Aosta Valley

The Pont-Saint-Martin is a single-arch bridge, and this is rather impressive because, with only one arch, the bridge is able to span 36.65 m (or 120 ft) in length. This also makes it one of the largest bridges of this variety in the world. In addition to this, for such an old stone bridge, it also manages to stand at 17 m (or 55.8 ft) above the river. Much like many such bridges, the intention was for this particular bridge to form part of an interconnected road network that would span the region.

In this particular case, the network would connect Italy with parts of both Spain and Gaul.

Pont-Saint-Martin (14 – 27 CE) in Aosta Valley; dacolje, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Pont du Gard (40 – 60 CE) in Gard

The Pont du Gard is one of, if not the most, famous of all Roman aqueduct bridges. The bridge is one of the most famous in the world, and it is also one of the best preserved from the Roman period. In addition to this, the sophisticated limestone arch design, which does not make use of mortar, is multi-layered and rises high above the river. It is situated at 48.8 m (or 160 ft) above the river that runs below it. While the Pont du Gard is no longer used as an aqueduct, it is still open as an actual bridge that can be traversed by all visitors who want to visit this most famous of Roman bridges.

Pont du Gard (40 – 60 CE) in Gard; Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alcántara Bridge (104 – 106 CE) in Alcántara

The Alcántara Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in the world that is located in Spain. This particular bridge was specifically constructed under the order of the famous Roman emperor Trajan. This bridge is also one of the best preserved of all Roman bridges, and it also has an impressive length of 181.7 m (or 596 ft). This length is achieved through the use of six separate arches to help support the construction of this old stone bridge.

Like many Roman bridges, it formed part of the intricate Roman infrastructure plans that led to vast road networks between various Roman territories.

Alcántara Bridge (104 – 106 CE) in Alcántara; Dantla at the German-language Wikipedia, GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons

Ponte Sant’Angelo (134 CE) in Rome

The Ponte Sant’Angelo is a Roman bridge that is located within Rome. Many of the oldest bridges of this variety can be found in the many territories that the Romans conquered rather than their home city. This particular bridge was constructed under the orders of the emperor Hadrian, who is well-known for being a figure integral to many of the greatest architectural achievements of the Roman Empire. This particular bridge is actually made of marble, which is relatively uncommon for bridges as it is a rather expensive material to use, but as it is located in Rome itself, it was likely meant to be far more extravagant than many of the bridges they constructed in their many colonies.

Ponte Sant’Angelo (134 CE) in Rome; Riccardo Bravi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Severan Bridge (200 – 210 CE) in Arsameia

The Severan Bridge is an ancient Roman bridge that dates to the earliest centuries of the Common Era. This bridge was a rather lengthy bridge for the time period, and it was constructed by a Roman legion that was stationed in what is modern-day Samsat in Turkey. The bridge is made up of a single arch made of precisely cut limestone without the use of mortar, which was a relatively common construction style from the Roman period when arches could be used as they do not, technically, need to use mortar if they are properly assembled.

The bridge was constructed as part of a larger road network that ultimately connected the regions in Asia Minor with Rome itself. As they say, all roads lead to Rome.

Severan Bridge (200 – 210 CE) in Arsameia; Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Band-e Kaisar (260 – 270 CE) in Shushtar

The Band-e Kaisar bridge is yet another Roman design, but this one operates as both a bridge and a dam. It is also, interestingly, the easternmost such construction that the Romans had ever constructed, and so it does show the limits of their territorial reach at the time. The bridge is incredibly long as it spans the entire length of the river, and it makes use of a total of 40 arches along its construction to maintain the 500 m (or 1,600 ft) length. The central reason for the bridge’s construction was twofold: to provide a means of crossing the river and to regulate the water levels in the region for various agricultural purposes along the river, as the dam would allow for the cessation of flooding in the area.

Band-e Kaisar (260 – 270 CE) in Shushtar; Ali Afghah, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bridge near Limyra (3^rd Century CE) in Limyra

The Bridge near Limyra is yet another of the ancient bridges that the Roman Empire was responsible for creating over the course of its existence. In this case, the bridge was specifically intended to serve the town of Limyra in Lycia. This particular bridge is also one of the oldest segmented bridges on the planet, and it is considered to be one of the most impressive engineering feats that the Roman Empire had ever managed to accomplish.

It makes use of a variety of materials in its construction but, sadly, it did not survive intact into the present day and was only excavated in the 1970s.

Bridge near Limyra (3^rd Century CE) in Limyra; Ralf Rochow, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Karamagara Bridge (5^th or 6^th Century CE) in Ağın

The Karamagara Bridge is one of the world’s oldest bridges and one that was created by the successors of the Roman Empire: the Byzantines. This particular bridge was constructed near the city of Ağın. It is not a particularly lengthy bridge at only 17.5 m (or 57 ft), but it does span the full expanse of the Çaltısuyu River. It is an old stone bridge that is situated 6.5 m (or 21 ft) above the water, and it was used for several centuries but was ultimately destroyed because of natural disasters. Regardless of this, it does show the ingenuity of ancient civilizations and how they designed such bridges for their needs.

Anji Bridge (595 – 605 CE) in Zhao County

The Anji Bridge is one of the world’s oldest bridges in China, and it is actually the oldest bridge still standing in the country. In addition to this, the bridge serves as the first bridge ever built that made use of an open-spandrel segmental arched design. Old stone bridges of this variety do not often remain standing into the present day, but that is not the case with this particular bridge. It has withstood the test of time for centuries to retain its place as one of the oldest bridges in the world, and not only that but one of the oldest bridges in the world that is still usable.

Anji Bridge (595 – 605 CE) in Zhao County; Siyuwj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We have come to the end of our look at some of the oldest bridges in the world. While the definitive title of “first bridge ever built” may never be conclusively known, we have examined many of the oldest. We looked at fifteen such bridges and, hopefully, answered questions related to bridge design and construction from the ancient world. However, there is always more to learn out there, and there are plenty of other bridges worthy of our time and attention!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Oldest Bridge in the World?

We cannot be certain of the first bridge ever built because there may have been bridges built in truly ancient times that have simply not survived into the present day. In addition, the bridges that tend to survive for centuries after their construction are made of sturdy materials like stone and concrete, but there have been many bridges made over the years that have been constructed of less sturdy materials like wood, and many of those bridges may have simply withered away with time. This means that old stone bridges tend to make it into the list of oldest bridges in the world, while wooden ones fade into historical obscurity.

Which Country Is Home to the World’s Oldest Bridge?

The oldest known bridge is likely the Arkadiko Bridge, and it is still actually in use to this day. This bridge is located in Greece, and as Greece is one of the oldest civilizations on earth, it may be best to answer this question by looking at the obvious contender for location with the oldest bridges: Greece. However, we cannot know for certain which bridge is the first bridge ever built, and so we are simply operating based on what currently still exists rather than looking at the true holder of the title of the world’s oldest bridge.

What Is the Oldest Type of Bridge?

There are many different types of bridges in the world, but what is the oldest type of bridge anyway? There is no definitive answer to this question, but in terms of simplistic bridges, beam bridges are some of the easiest to construct. They typically involve extending a beam of some kind over the desired area that requires a bridge, and the oldest forms of these would have likely been constructed through the use of logs from fallen trees that were simply placed over a chasm to provide a bridge structure. However, whether we can consider some of these instances to be actual bridges is a matter that is up for debate.

Justin van Huyssteen( Writer, Academic, Educator )

Justin van Huyssteen is a writer, academic, and educator from Cape Town, South Africa. He holds a master’s degree in Theory of Literature. His primary focus in this field is the analysis of artistic objects through a number of theoretical lenses. His predominant theoretical areas of interest include narratology and critical theory in general, with a particular focus on animal studies. Other than academia, he is a novelist, game reviewer, and freelance writer. Justin’s preferred architectural movements include the more modern and postmodern types of architecture, such as Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Brutalist, and Futurist varieties like sustainable architecture. Justin is working for artfilemagazine as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture.

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