Roman ruins reappear from river in drought-stricken Europe almost 2,000 years later
BY ASPEN PFLUGHOEFT
Dropping water levels revealed a massive complex of Roman ruins in Spain as Europe continues to struggle under a record-breaking drought.
Ancient Romans began construction on a military camp in what is now northwestern Spain, along the Lima River in Galicia, in about 75 AD, Spanish researchers wrote in a 2018 study. They abandoned the camp about a century later.
The remaining ruins became submerged after the construction of a dam in 1949 created the As Conchas reservoir, The Guardian reported.
But this summer, all droughts led to Rome. The ancient camp reappeared on the river bank — its entire ruined complex on display, drone footage posted on Aug. 26 by Faro de Vigo showed. Aerial photographs show a sprawling collection of neatly organized stone structures primarily made of gray-brown cobblestones. What’s left of a wall runs around the smaller structures, water lapping at its edge. A once-grand entrance stands partially collapsed, almost welcoming the river that lies just beyond its doorway.