Underwater cities hidden just below the surface

Although Atlantis has fired the imagination for centuries, it is most likely a legend. Meanwhile, there are underwater cities that really exist – on the bottoms of lakes and seas rest the ruins of ancient settlements, temples and ports, sometimes swallowed up by the elements of nature, other times as a result of human activity. Let’s learn the stories of the most interesting of them.

Why did the cities go under water?

These relics did not find themselves underwater by chance – their fate was forged by specific mechanisms. Earthquakes and tsunamis in seismic zones are most often to blame, causing landslides, violent waves and liquefaction of the ground. When water-saturated ground turns to liquid, it absorbs buildings. Another factor is the rising sea level after the Ice Age, which flooded low-lying sediments. And in volcanic regions, bradyseism – slow changes in ground elevation under the influence of fluctuating underground pressures – gradually submerges neighborhoods. Finally, human activity – deliberate submergence to build dams and reservoirs. Catastrophic floods and warfare, such as the deliberate destruction or disruption of dikes, also contribute to permanent changes in the landscape.

The most famous underwater cities

Pavlopetri

Pavlopetri, located off the coast of Laconia, Greece, is one of the oldest underwater cities in the world. Discovered in 1967 by British oceanographer Nicholas Flemming during a study of ocean currents, it rests at a depth of 3-4 meters.

The settlement went underwater as a result of tectonic subsidence in the fifth to seventh centuries AD and centuries of sea level rise. Its relics have been well preserved by sandy sediments. It is a remnant of the Mycenaean culture with a legible network of streets, houses with many rooms, workshops and tombs, testifying to the lives of hundreds of inhabitants. Modern documentation methods – sonar, 3D scanning and underwater robots – have unveiled the site’s plan: the fragment of ruins documented so far occupies about 500m2 (with the estimated area of the entire settlement of about 100,000m2). More than 15 buildings, a central plaza and a drainage system – surprisingly advanced for its time – have also been identified.

Port Royal

Jamaica’s Port Royal, known as the world’s most sinful city, was a center of piracy, slave trade and smuggling in the 17th century – a haven for adventurers such as Henry Morgan. On the narrow spit lived more than 6,500 residents and stood 2,000 buildings: taverns, pleasure houses and forts.

In 1692, an earthquake and tsunami engulfed two-thirds of the city, killing some 2,000 people – the streets collapsed into mud and waves flooded the rest. Today the ruins lie mostly up to a dozen meters deep in Kingston Bay. Scientists and archaeologists fish out fascinating relics here: a silver watch that stopped at 11:43 a.m. (the hour of the disaster according to witnesses), rum jugs, Spanish coins and cannons from the sunken wrecks. With its UNESCO site status, it attracts divers, showcasing a colonial Caribbean full of pirate legends and treasures.

Baiae

Baiae, a town near Naples, was considered the Las Vegas of ancient Rome. From the late 2nd century BC, emperors and senators flocked here to relax in villas overlooking the Gulf of Pozzuoli. They were attracted by hot volcanic springs, extensive baths, gardens and endless feasting – a mix of relaxation, entertainment and behind-the-scenes politics. No wonder Propertius in the first century BC called Baiae the port of transgression.

Baiae slowly sank along with the coast – the result of bradyseism, or long-term vertical ground movements in the Campi Flegrei volcanic field. Today, the lower parts of the city lie 3-7 meters deep in the Gulf of Pozzuoli and have formed an underwater archaeological park since 2002. The ruins cover as much as 177 hectares and include the remains of villas with colorful frescoes, floor mosaics, columns and statues. Particularly famous is Claudius’ nymphaeum, a sacred spring with sculptures of nymphs. In recent years, archaeologists have discovered a new villa with thousands of marble slabs and mosaics, as well as a beautiful mosaic floor.

Świteź – jezioro pełne legend

Thonis-Heracleion

Thonis-Heracleion (also known as Egyptian Thonis and Greek Heracleion), located on the Nile delta, was a key port of Egypt from the 8th century BC. Goods from all over the Mediterranean passed through the city: grain, papyrus, gold and exotic spices. It attracted merchants interested in its uniqueness, including the historian Herodotus, who called it a great city at the mouth of the river.

The city gradually sank due to earthquakes, rising sea levels and liquefaction of sediments. Eventually the area was under water and a layer of silt at a depth of about 10 meters. Discovered in 2000 by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio during a geophysical survey, it surprised with its scale: extensive ruins with canals, warehouses and temples.

Artifacts from underwater excavations – including at least 70 shipwrecks, giant statues of pharaohs such as a 5.4-meter statue of Hapa (god of the Nile), Greek coins and jewelry – are evidence of active trade with Greece and Hellenistic cultural exchange. Research on the site continues, uncovering more secrets of the forgotten metropolis.

Shicheng

Shicheng, known as the Lion City (from the nearby Five Lion Mountain), located in Zhejiang Province, China is an ancient settlement from the Tang Dynasty (c. 621 AD). Extensive defensive walls, 265 gate arches, wide streets and temples decorated with sculptures of lions, dragons and phoenixes attest to its role as an administrative center during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Inscriptions on the stones date back to 1777, showing the daily life of officials and merchants in imperial China.

It was deliberately submerged in 1959 under Qiandao Lake to a depth of 25-40 meters in order to build the Xin’an Dam and hydroelectric power plant, forcing the displacement of some 300,000 people. The city, however, survived surprisingly intact. Discovered in 2001, it has become an attraction for experienced divers, highlighting the price of sacrifice for progress.