• The sunken archaeological park of Baia off the coast of Naples still reveals the splendor of the ancient Romans.

• Underwater archaeologists have discovered and restored an ancient marble floor from a Roman villa submerged in the sea.

• Volcanic activity along the coast submerged ancient cities that researchers are still discovering underwater today.

Finding lost remains of ancient Rome near Naples’ coast doesn’t require shovels or pickaxes. Instead, researchers strap on their scuba gear and dive deep beneath the sea’s surface to search for the sunken remains of the Roman Empire. And the latest find, made in the Gulf of Naples, involves the restoration of a marble floor measuring approximately 250 square meters, built as a reception room for a traditional villa in the town of Baia towards the end of the Roman Empire.

Baia, in the Phlegraean Fields off the coast of Naples, was once a holiday destination for the ancient Romans. Close to commercial and military ports such as Capo Miseno and Portus Julius, the area was a hive of activity. But then the earth shook (there were military conflicts, but that’s not relevant to the underwater story). Due to the volcanic instability in the area, parts of the coast began to sink, taking with it ancient Roman ruins of imperial baths, statues, mosaics and, of course, marble floors.

The Baia Marine Archaeological Park now protects eight underwater sites that are popular with recreational divers, some of which are even close enough to the surface for snorkelers to enjoy.

The Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park said in a Facebook post that the restoration of the marble floor – carried out by Naumacos Underwater Archaeology and CSR Restauro Beni Culturali – represents “a very complicated new challenge due to the extreme fragmentation of the remains and their enormous extent”.

Thousands of marble slabs are assembled to form a complex geometry, creating a stunning underwater scene on the floor.

Campi Flegrei (or Phlegraean Fields), from the Greek meaning “burning earth”, refers to an area of ​​volcanic activity that caused the ground to sink slowly by human standards but rapidly by geological standards. According to the archaeological park, both volume changes of a magma chamber near the surface and thermal changes affecting the volume of water in the porous subsoil can cause the phenomenon called bradyseism. This phenomenon caused the ancient coastal strip to sink and flooded entire cities, including the commercial city of Pozzuoli, the commercial and military ports near Miseno and the residential enclave of Baia.

The first archaeological discoveries in the area were made in the 1920s, but the first underwater survey was not conducted until the 1960s. It helped create the first archaeological map of the sunken city of Baia. Researchers discovered a paved road flanked by buildings located just 20 feet underwater, as well as a sanctuary of the Emperor Claudius. Concrete piers were found about 1,300 feet from the shore, leading to the identification of the ancient shoreline.

Since the 1960s, restoration projects have been continuously started and stopped.

The latest find is an example of what was an incredibly expensive and demanding task when it was first undertaken, due to the many pieces of painted marble that make up the sprawling entrance. However, when the work was originally carried out, this was not a story of pure marble extravagance, with the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park saying it believes the sharpened squares, each with inscribed circles, were made from second-hand marble. Yet centuries later, this find is by no means inferior.

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