ROME (AP) — The remains of an ancient bridge have emerged in Rome's Tiber River, near St. Peter's Basilica, as weeks with virtually no rain caused water levels to plunge.
The bridge — known as Nero's Bridge, named for the former Roman emperor — once connected Rome's city center with the Tiber's right bank.
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"Nero is the most famous person linked to this area, because precisely in Nero's circus, where the Vatican is now located, the Apostle Peter was martyred," said Antonella Bonini, an archaeologist at Rome's cultural heritage superintendency.
"However, scholars consider the bridge to be older (than Nero's era) — built by Caligula, Nero's uncle," she said, adding that it existed as early as 39 AD.
