Plunging water levels in the Danube River due to an unprecedented spring drought have revealed a vast complex of submerged Roman infrastructure near the Iron Gates gorge in Serbia. Archaeologists have identified the remains of massive stone-and-timber grain silos and a previously unknown tactical river-fort used by the Roman military to secure the frontier during the Dacian Wars of the 2nd century CE.
The silos, which were designed with innovative sub-floor ventilation to prevent moisture, suggest that the region served as a critical logistics hub for the Roman Danubian fleet. Climate archaeology teams are currently racing to document the structures before water levels rise, using 3D photogrammetry to map the exposed foundations and recover well-preserved organic materials, including leather sandals and wooden stakes, that have survived underwater for two millennia.