Danube Drought Exposes 1-Mile Roman Bridge Foundations in Bulgaria
Updated
Updated · Archaeology Magazine · Aug 14
Danube Drought Exposes 1-Mile Roman Bridge Foundations in Bulgaria
3 articles · Updated · Archaeology Magazine · Aug 14
Summary
Drone surveys near Gigen mapped the newly exposed foundations of a Roman bridge after a European heat wave drove Danube water levels sharply lower.
Built under Emperor Constantine I and inaugurated in A.D. 328, the bridge ran a little over 1 mile between Ulpia Oescus and Sucidava in present-day Romania.
Pavel Popov's team at the Pleven Regional Historical Museum said the low water delivered an unprecedented view of one of Rome's largest engineering works.
The structure is thought to have been destroyed around A.D. 367, making the drought exposure a rare chance to document remains usually hidden beneath the river.