• in europe drought exposes ancient stones, WWII ships as water levels drop

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    in europe drought exposes ancient stones,  WWII ships as water levels drop




     Digital Desk: Water
    levels in rivers and lakes around Europe have dropped to levels few people can
    recall due to weeks of sweltering drought, revealing long-hidden riches as well
    as some unwelcome dangers.



     



    Archaeologists have
    been thrilled by the discovery of a prehistoric stone circle known as the
    "Spanish Stonehenge" that is often covered by the waters of a dam in
    Spain, which is experiencing its worst drought in decades.



     



    The stone circle, officially
    known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, is today completely exposed in a corner of
    the Valdecanas reservoir in the central province of Caceres, where officials
    claim the water level has fallen to 28% of its maximum level.



     



    It was discovered by
    German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was flooded in 1963
    in a rural development project under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Since
    then it has only become fully visible four times.



     



    It was discovered by
    German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was flooded in 1963
    in a rural development project under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Since
    then it has only become fully visible four times.



     



    Some people view their
    reappearance as a warning and a reminder of the struggles people endured during
    previous droughts because they bear dates and people's initials. Stones in
    Worms, south of Frankfurt, and Rheindorf, near Leverkusen, had dates
    discernible on them, including 1947, 1959, 2003, and 2018.



     



    The drought has caused
    another of Europe's great rivers, the Danube, to drop to one of its lowest
    levels in nearly a century, exposing the wrecks of more than 20 German warships
    that were sunk during World War Two close to Serbia's river port city of
    Prahovo.




    The ships, which still
    impede river movement during low water levels, were among hundreds that Nazi
    Germany's Black Sea fleet scuttled along the Danube in 1944 as they withdrew
    from oncoming Soviet forces.



     



    A 450 kg (1,000 lb)
    World War Two bomb that had been sunk was found in the low-running waters of
    Italy's longest river in late July, prompting the country to declare an
    emergency in the territories surrounding the River Po.



    Approximately 3,000 residents of the northern village of
    Borgo Virgilio, close to Mantua, were evacuated earlier this month as military
    experts defused and carried out a controlled explosion of the U.S.-made weapon.