‘If you see me, weep’: Drought uncovers old warnings, sunken monuments

The Spanish Stonehenge is believed to date back to 5000 BC

Ancient cities, old inscriptions and sunken monuments are emerging from the receding waters of rivers across Europe.

A lack of rainfall and a series of unforgiving heatwaves from May have impacted the waterways of the region and led to drought in several areas, according to CNBC. As rivers evaporate, long-submerged artefacts are emerging – sometimes for the first time in years.

“Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine (If you see me, then weep)” reads the inscription on a stone exposed by a drought in the Elbe River in the town of Děčín in Czech Republic. According to the Guardian, this so-called ‘hunger stone’ – not the only one to be found in the river – warns future generations of famine when it emerges.

The earliest hunger stone in the Elbe River dates back to 1616. Traces of inscriptions from the droughts of 1417 and 1473 have also been found in the river, although largely eroded.

The recent droughts in Europe once again made visible the "Hunger Stones" in some Czech and German rivers. These stones were used to mark desperately low river levels that would forecast famines.

This one, in the Elbe river, is from 1616 and says: "If you see me, cry" pic.twitter.com/uJTapWXN5y

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These stones are not the only fragments of history to emerge from Europe’s drying water bodies.

A centuries-old church and a huge megalithic complex are among the underwater monuments that have resurfaced in Spain as a severe drought causes water levels in reservoirs to plunge, reports AFP.

The Spanish Stonehenge is believed to date back to 5000 BC

In Spain's western Extremadura region, the receding waters of the Valdecanas reservoir have revealed a prehistoric stone circle on an islet that is normally underwater. The Dolmen of Guadalperal, dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge, is believed to date back to 5000 BC. The megalithic site has fully emerged after waters in the surrounding Valdecanas reservoir receded due to the drought hitting Spain.

Extreme drought also exposed the ruins of a 3,400-year-old city in northern Iraq in a reservoir on the Tigris River. The months-long drought led to water being drawn from the Mosul reservoir to be used in irrigation, which ultimately exposed the settlement, the University of Tubingen announced in June.

Aerial view of the excavations at Kemune. (Image credit: University of Tubingen)

Experts believe they could be the ruins of the ancient city of Zakhiku, once a bustling settlement on the Tigris River and the capital of Mittani Empire, which ruled over large parts of northern Mesopotamia and Syria between 1550–1350 BC.

Meanwhile in Italy, the Po River has revealed artefacts dating back to World War II, including a submerged bomb. World Wars II wrecks were also found in the low waters of Daube River in Serbia, reports the New York Post. These include dozens of German warships.

“The water levels in some of the major waterways are lower than they have been in decades,” Matthew Oxenford, senior analyst of Europe and climate policy at The Economist Intelligence Unit, a research and advisory firm, told CNBC.

“So, that’s going to have very significant impacts on the economic and human activity that’s taking place around these waterways seeing as we’re likely to remain in some form of drought for some time to come.”

(With inputs from AFP)