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Nero’s Bridge resurfaces
Remains of an ancient bridge known as Nero’s Bridge emerged in Rome’s Tiber River near St. Peter’s Basilica after weeks with virtually no rain caused water levels to plunge.
“The remains of an ancient bridge have emerged in Rome’s Tiber River, near St. Peter’s Basilica”
The bridge once connected Rome’s city center with the Tiber’s right bank, and it is associated with the former Roman emperor Nero while scholars consider it older than Nero’s era.
Archaeologist Antonella Bonini said, “Nero is the most famous person linked to this area, because precisely in Nero’s circus, where the Vatican is now located, the Apostle Peter was martyred,” describing the historical link to the Vatican area.
Bonini also said scholars consider the bridge to be older and that it was built by Caligula, Nero’s uncle, adding that it existed as early as 39 AD.
The Tiber’s flow has fallen below 80 cubic meters (2,825 cubic feet) per second, about half the historic average for the month of July, according to Giovanni Giganti, coordinator of the Rome civil protection service’s center for water management.
Water crisis and voices
Giganti, coordinator of the Rome civil protection service’s center for water management, tied the low river levels to seasonal conditions, saying, “We are facing a major water crisis. And it is a crisis that is also due to the fact that this winter we did have quite abundant rainfall, but then the dry periods ... were quite long,”.
The drought-hit Tiber has also turned up items in the riverbed, including e-bikes and scooters, refrigerators and even a car further upstream, according to CNN.
CNN described the bridge as a 2,000-year-old structure and said it was thought to have been built as a triumphal monument by Emperor Caligula around 39 AD.
The AP account placed the bridge’s emergence in the same setting—Rome’s Tiber River near St. Peter’s Basilica—while noting the bridge was known as Nero’s Bridge and connected Rome’s city center with the Tiber’s right bank.
In the same AP reporting, Bonini reiterated that scholars consider the bridge older than Nero’s era and built by Caligula, Nero’s uncle, existing as early as 39 AD.
What the exposure enables
With the bridge usually entirely underwater, the drought has created a rare opportunity for archaeologists to study the structure as full blocks of the ancient masonry become visible.
“The last time the remains of the bridge were visible was during a similar drought in 2022”
CNN said the last time the remains of the bridge were visible was during a similar drought in 2022, framing the current exposure as a repeat window for observation.
Bonini’s comments in the AP reporting emphasized both the naming link to Nero’s circus and the scholarly view that the bridge was built by Caligula and existed as early as 39 AD.
The AP account also placed the bridge’s emergence in the context of Rome’s water crisis, describing how weeks with virtually no rain caused water levels to plunge.
As the river remains low, the exposed remains near St. Peter’s Basilica continue to surface, while the Tiber’s flow stays below 80 cubic meters per second, about half the historic average for July, per Giganti.
