Swiss drought reveals Roman secrets that could redraw ancient maps

Swiss archaeologists are getting new insights into the Roman history of Switzerland after drought conditions revealed previously hidden sites as the country endured the hottest summer on record.

Drought can unearth hidden archaeological sites through parch marks created when vegetation above winters with this being one of several impacts of this year’s heatwaves.

According to an alert issued by a history nerd, archaeologists in the Swiss canton of Vaud used a drone to capture images of fields around Aventicum. The former capital of Roman Helvetia was founded 2,000 years ago after Julius Caesar defeated local tribes.

The images exposed the ruins of thermal baths, houses, roads and a suspected temple that were previously unknown or scarcely understood anomalies in previously excavated zones of the city which thrived under Roman rule before waning as Germanic incursions increased from the third century onward.

In this connection, Jordan Anastassov, archaeologist for Vaud said: “These are the richest discoveries made there in the last 50 years, at least over the last two generations of archaeologists.”

The team of five archaeologists overlay the discoveries on a map in purple filing blank spaces and correcting mistaken markings.

Meanwhile, some of the traces captured from June to August vanished as rainfall resumed over lower temperatures but the perimeter of a new pool in the baths is still partially visible in a withered field as unseasonable warmth endures in September. Furthermore, other historical remains have emerged in Switzerland and Europe but many have the information but may lack the surrounding context needed to understand them.