Nero’s Bridge Emerges in Rome as Tiber Flow Falls Below 80 Cubic Meters a Second
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 14
Nero’s Bridge Emerges in Rome as Tiber Flow Falls Below 80 Cubic Meters a Second
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 14
Summary
Rome’s plunging Tiber has exposed the remains of Nero’s Bridge near St. Peter’s Basilica after weeks of virtually no rain.
Below 80 cubic meters per second, the river’s flow is about half the historic July average, underscoring what Rome civil protection officials called a major water crisis.
Antonella Bonini, an archaeologist with Rome’s cultural heritage superintendency, said the bridge linked the city center to the river’s right bank and likely predates Nero.
As early as 39 AD, scholars believe the structure was built under Caligula, while the site is tied to Nero’s circus, where tradition holds the Apostle Peter was martyred.