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Swiss Archaeologists Redraw Roman Maps Following Record Summer Drought
By Drooid · · How we work
Record Heat Uncovers Hidden Roman Remains
On September 29, researchers reported that the hottest summer on record in Switzerland revealed long-buried Roman features across the canton of Vaud. Drought-induced “parch marks,” where vegetation withers over subsurface structures, made the outlines of thermal baths, houses, roads and a possible temple visible in fields surrounding ancient Aventicum—the Roman capital of Helvetia founded ? 2,000 years ago after Julius Caesar’s conquest. The same heatwaves also exposed World War I wrecks on river beds elsewhere in Europe.
Drone Surveillance Captured the Sites
A local history enthusiast alerted the team, leading five Vaud archaeologists to launch a drone that recorded daily aerial images from June through August. The imagery disclosed a new pool within the baths and additional building footprints; some traces vanished after mowing and as temperatures fell, but the pool’s perimeter remained discernible in a partially withered alfalfa field as unseasonably warm weather persisted into September.
Mapping the Newly Detected Features
The researchers superimposed the drone data onto existing Roman maps, shading the new discoveries in purple to fill blank spaces and correct earlier errors. The revised map now incorporates the baths, residential blocks, roadways and the tentative temple—features that had not been documented in the last two generations of archaeological work. The team plans to present the findings to peers and may conduct targeted excavations later.