In recent weeks, Europe has had one of the hottest summers to date, leaving the region in a the worst drought in the last 500 years. In a very weird twist of events, there is somehow a "silver lining" in this whole thing as the drought has revealed a part of Spanish history that can now be studied again.

According to reuters, known officially as the Dolmen of Guadalperal but dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge, the circle of dozens of megalithic stones is believed to date back to 5000 BC.  The article continues, saying "It currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in the central province of Caceres, where authorities say the water level has dropped to 28% of capacity."

Photo: reuters

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. Dolmens are vertically arranged stones usually supporting a flat boulder. 

Although there are many scattered across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them. Human remains found in or near many have led to an often-cited theory that they are tombs.

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Abcnews states that the dolmen was last visible in 2019, when Europe was facing a drought, NASA said. This 2019 drought was the first time the entire structure became visible since it was flooded in 1963, according to NASA. A petition by Asociación Raíces de Peraleda was posted on Change.org in 2019 to have the structure moved from the reservoir.

As of August 2nd, it has over 45,000 signatures. The petition continues to read that the association launches a "voice of alarm" to officials to move the dolman, in order to "rescue" it and take "advantage of the current circumstances since it is still well preserved." Read more on this article by clicking here.