Climate change has never been more real. Every country, region, state, and city is fighting the long battle of climate change. While some regions of the world are experiencing excessive rain, some other regions are experiencing extreme drought. One such region is Italy. However, there’s a blessing in disguise. With the continuous heatwave in the region, a lot of archaeological treasures from Rome have been uncovered. One such example is a bridge which supposedly existed since the time of the Roman Emperor Nero. With the decrease in the water levels of Rome’s Tiber River, an ancient bridge has been discovered. This can now be seen beneath the majestic Vittorio Emmanuele II bridge.
According to media reports, near Castel Sant’Angelo and the Vatican, there was debris from the old bridge known as Pons Neronianus or Bridge of Nero. Emperor Nera was the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire (AD 54 to 68). However, he was declared an enemy by the Roman Senate, and he later died by suicide at the age of 30.
Going with the media reports, in 2021, the water level of the river was reduced by one metre. With this, the bridge was clearly visible. However, it is not certain that the bridge was built by Emperor Nero. The reports suggest the bridge existed before Nero’s reign, and it could be a case of reconstruction.
With this revelation, the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, has asked the citizens to take the necessary measures to conserve water and avoid wastage. It's not just drought in various regions; temperatures are being predicted to worsen too in parts of Western Europe.
