Hidden 'Hunger Stones' Reveal Drought Warnings From The Past

There are stones carved centuries ago to give future generations a warning of hard times to come.

According to the Miami Herald, locals said thehunger stones reappeared last week as rivers in Europe ran dry due to the lack of rain.

The banks of the Elbe River are home to one such stone.

"If you see me, then weep," is what the boulder says in German.

The initials of authors lost to history and the years of hardship are what a team of Czech researchers wrote in a study.

A bad harvest, lack of food, high prices and hunger for poor people were all said to have been caused by the dry spell. The stone commemorates 1417, 1616, 1707, 1746, 1790, 1800, 1812, 1830, 1842, 1868, 1892, and 1893.

According to NPR, these "hydrological landmarks" were last seen in a year's time.

According to a senior researcher at the European Commission's Joint Research Center, the current European dry spell is the worst in 500 years.

There have been no other similar events in the past 500 years. Euronews said that this year is worse.

There was a high chance of dry conditions over the next three months.

Climate change is linked to more frequent and intense droughts. Changes in precipitation are caused by rising temperatures.

There is a deficit of water in the soil in 47 percent of Europe, and 17 percent is on alert, which means vegetation is stressed.

There are other hidden relics in European rivers. Climate change has caused the Po River to lose water.

After the country's largest river reached low levels due to the longest dry spell in 70 years, the sunken barge reappeared.

The Italian river revealed a previously submerged 1,000 pound bomb from World War II in late July.

The bomb was found by fishermen on the bank of the River Po due to a decrease in water levels caused by the dry spell.

It had to be removed.

The original article was published by Business Insider.