Severe heatwaves in Bulgaria reveal ancient Rome's Constantine Bridge hidden under Danube's waters

Record-low Danube water levels in Bulgaria, caused by severe heatwaves, have exposed the foundations of the ancient Constantine Bridge. The bridge, inaugurated in 328 CE, linked Ulpia Oescus with Sucidava. Archaeologists from the Pleven museum documented the remains with drones, calling it a rare opportunity. The receding waters also revealed WWII German ships and mammoth remains.

Exceptionally low water levels on the Danube River, caused by a succession of record-breaking heatwaves in Europe this summer, have exposed parts of the foundations of the ancient Constantine Bridge in Bulgaria. The bridge, commissioned by Emperor Constantine I and inaugurated in 328 CE, linked the ancient city of Ulpia Oescus with Sucidava in what is now Romania. Stretching more than two kilometers, it is regarded as one of the longest bridges of antiquity, though it was short-lived and largely destroyed around 367 CE. A team from the Regional Historical Museum in Pleven, including Pavel Popov, carried out aerial photography and documentation of the visible remains near the village of Gigen. Popov noted that these moments are extremely valuable for archaeologists because nature briefly reveals an object hidden beneath the Danube most of the time. The researchers used drones to map and photograph the exposed foundations, tracing their line and assessing their condition. The receding water levels have also revealed other finds across Europe, including dozens of German battleships sunken during World War II near the Serbian port of Prahovo, and the remains of an Ice Age mammoth in northern Bulgaria. The article also mentions the discovery of skeletal remains of two Nazi soldiers in Budapest, found by the German War Graves Commission.