Ancient Roman mosaic discovered
A stunning antique mosaic from the floor of an ancient Roman villa was discovered on the seabed in the waters near Naples.
According to a social media post Tuesday from the Campi Flegrei archaeological park, part of Italy's Ministry of Culture, the marble floor that is now underwater would have originally been on the protiro, or decorated porch, of the residence overlooking the sea.
Built in the ancient resort town of Bailly, which was popular during the late Roman Empire and home to the residences of Julius Caesar and Emperor Nero, CNN tells CNN, the villa is part of a piece of land that was submerged by a geological phenomenon called bradyseism, during which the ground rises or, as in this case, falls due to pressure beneath the surface.
Preliminary research suggests that the floor is largely made from reused pieces of irregularly shaped marble, a technique that was common from III to 5th century AD.
The marble is also broken because the room's walls, which were more than 10 meters high, collapsed onto the floor, CNN notes.
Underwater work is ongoing to uncover and restore much of the floor, while some sections have been removed and cleaned on land.
The goal is to try to recreate an entire section of the floor, according to the report.
Local Josie Mayor Gerardo Della Ragione called the find «enormous» in a social media post.
According to him, the floor was laid towards the end of the Roman Empire, «shortly before bradyseismic phenomena sent these wonders to the bottom of the sea.»
The area is now a popular diving site where you can see the flooded ruins, notes CNN.
Campi Phlegrei, or Phlegrean Fields, – The large volcanic area, stretching 200 kilometers under the Bay of Naples and the islands of Capri and Ischia to the outskirts of Naples, is a giant caldera, or depression.
Currently, there are numerous volcanoes here, active for 39,000 years, many of which are underwater.
The last major eruption of Campi Flegrei occurred in 1538, and as a result, a new mountain was formed in the bay, says CNN.
According to the National Institute of Geophysics and Italian Volcanology (INGV), seismic activity in the area has been increasing since December 2022, and experts fear that the volcano may reawaken after being dormant for generations.