Floods expose Roman ruins near Pompeii
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Roman mosaics at the submerged town of Baiae in the Bay of Naples [Credit: copyright Centro Sub Campi Flegrei (Photographer: Stefano D'Urso, Model: Kair L Keller)] |
The famously decadent emperor Caligula (ruled 37-41 AD) staged a spectacular stunt at the ancient site of Pozzuoli, Puteoli, soon after his coronation, riding across a two-mile pontoon bridge in defiance of an astrologer's prediction that he had "no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae".
Baiae was an integral part of Portus Julius, home port of the western Imperial Fleet of ancient Rome.
The town was sacked by Saracen raiders in the 8th century AD and was deserted because of malaria by 1500. Because of coastal subsidence most of Baiae is now under water in the Bay of Naples, largely due to local volcanic activity.
Exquisite statues and rich mosaics are magnets for divers.
Source: ANSA [Januray 22, 2014]
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