{
  "id": 3019080,
  "title": "1,600-year-old Roman bridge emerges as Danube water levels plunge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/1-600-year-old-roman-bridge-emerges-as-danube-water-levels-plunge",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T12:24:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/the-danube-has-fallen-so-low-that-a-1600-year-old-roman-bridge-is-emerging-from-the-river-revealing-a-piece-of-history-hidden-underwater-for-centuries/articleshow/133460246.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Danube river, Europe's second-longest river, has revealed the remains of a 1,600-year-old Roman bridge due to its current low water levels, according to a Reuters report. Archaeologists in Bulgaria are utilizing this unique opportunity to study parts of the Constantine Bridge, which was built under the orders of Roman Emperor Constantine I and opened in AD 328. The bridge, which connected the cities of Sucidava (present-day Romania) and Ulpia Oescus (modern-day northern Bulgaria), was over 2 kilometers long, making it one of the longest bridges of the ancient world. However, a significant portion of the bridge was destroyed around A.D. 367 and is now submerged beneath the Danube. This summer's record-breaking heatwaves and drought in Europe have caused the Danube's water levels to drop, exposing the bridge's foundations near the village of Gigen in northern Bulgaria. Archaeologists from the Regional Historical Museum in Pleven documented the exposed remains using drones, capturing detailed images and maps of the ancient structure. This brief exposure offers a rare glimpse into the construction and layout of the bridge, which will soon be hidden again as the water levels rise.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}