Ancient City Lost Below the Sea Still Surprisingly Intact

Sunken off the northwestern shore of Naples, Italy, lies the ancient Roman city of Baiae.

Ironically, the underwater volcanic activity that brought luxurious mineral springs to the surface — making Baiae a prominent Roman resort area — also caused it to sink into the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Built as a port on the Cumaean Peninsula, the wayside resort attracted the likes of notable historical figures like Julius Caesar and Nero, according to History.com. Baiae was apparently notorious for the over-the-top, indulgent lifestyles enjoyed by its residents and visitors.

In addition to the natural thermal springs, casinos and swimming pools were built in the beach town.

Legend has it that the infamous Roman Emperor Caligula used Baiae for the site of his floating bridge in 39 A.D.

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Baiae’s heyday came to an end during the barbarian invasions of southern Europe during the 8th century.

According to History.com, it was abandoned during a malaria outbreak in the 16th century.

Sometime later, water levels rose due to underwater volcanic vents, drowning the city in the shallow bay waters.

In the 1940s, a pilot named Raimondo Baucher took the first aerial photos of the ancient city’s remains.

By the 1980s, archaeological reserves began to be established to continue to protect Baiae, which had remained surprisingly intact over the years.

The Archaeological Park of Baiae was ratified as a protective agency on August 7, 2002. In 2007, regulated diving activities became permitted.

Today, tourists can take a glass bottom boat to view many mostly intact buildings, as well as roads and sculptures.

Many people, tourists and historians alike, have taken the opportunity to explore the underwater remains, while documenting what they find.

In addition to underwater remnants, several other Roman artifacts remain on land for tourists to visit. Among the most popular are the Temples of Mercury, Venus and Diana.

Baiae is not alone in terms of vanished cities.

In the Mediterranean, it is joined the ancient Greek cities of Helike — which was submerged by a tsunami following an earthquake in 373 B.C. —  and Pavlopetri — which slipped into the sea about 3,000 years ago due to what historians believe was either erosion or a tsunami.

Both lost cities are suspected as the possible inspiration behind Plato’s fabled Greek island of Atlantis.

Caterine DeCicco is The Western Journal’s Washington, D.C. video producer.

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