Baiae Bath Complex May Belong to Cicero's Villa

Archaeology Magazine ^ | August 18, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

For centuries, the waterfront resort of Baiae on the Bay of Naples was the stomping ground of Rome's rich and famous. Located around 150 miles south of the capital, many of Rome's wealthiest citizens, including several emperors, built villas there to escape the scorching city heat and take in the area's sulfurous waters. However, most of the site today lies submerged beneath the sea and is preserved as a spectacular underwater archaeological park, as seismic and volcanic activity has caused the coastline to sink as much as 30 feet. Recently, according to a report by Finestre sull'Arte, a team of archaeological divers located a luxurious bath complex about 10 feet beneath the surface, in an area known as the Portus Iulius. They recorded ornate mosaics, traces of wall paintings, and a room that would have once functioned as a sauna (laconicum). Experts believe that the ruins are located in an area where the celebrated Roman politician and orator Cicero once owned a villa and think that the bath complex may have been part of his sprawling Baiae estate. To see more photos of Baiae's submerged ruins, go to "Slideshow: Italy's Underwater Sculpture Garden."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: 79ad; baiae; bayofnaples; campiflegrei; cicero; eruption; eruptions; godsgravesglyphs; italy; marcustulliuscicero; mosaics; portusiulius; romanempire; vesuvius; volcano; volcanoes

[SunkenCiv]

Submerged walls of a villa, Baiae, Italy

Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park

The rest of the Baiae keyword, sorted:

• Opulent Roman Floor Uncovered in the Gulf of Naples [07/30/2024]
• Underwater Nabataean temple discovered in major archaeological find in Italy [04/30/2023]
• Underwater Survey Reveals New Discoveries in Sunken Town of Baia [04/24/2023]
• Lost Temple Swallowed by Ocean Discovered Near Roman Empire's 'Las Vegas' [11/30/2022]
• The Unsolved Mystery of the Tunnels at Baiae [10/04/2012]

[SunkenCiv]

[BenLurkin]

Hands off

[SunkenCiv]

Most of the rest of the Campi Flegrei keyword, sorted:

• A New Vent Has Opened at the Yellowstone Supervolcano, and the Campi Flegrei Supervolcano Could Erupt "At Any Moment" [03/21/2025]
• Italy's Campi Flegrei volcano is at risk of eruption, researchers say [06/09/2023]
• Campi Flegrei Supervolcano Update; Eventual Evacuations Likely [02/13/2022]
• Mysterious volcanic ash layer from 29,000 years ago traced to volcano in Naples [04/29/2019]
• Painted tomb discovered in Cumae (Italy): A banquet frozen in time [09/30/2018]
• Family of three die after falling into boiling mud as sink hole opens up in volcanic area in Italy [09/12/2017]
• Can Volcanic Gas Levels Predict an Eruption? [06/19/2017]
• Europe's Most Dangerous Supervolcano Is Waking Up; 500,000 Lives At Risk [01/10/2017]
• Massive Volcano Near Naples Begins Rumbling [12/23/2016]
• A supervolcano caused the largest eruption in European history. Now it's stirring again. [12/22/2016]
• The Supervolcano That Caused One Of The Biggest Eruptions In History Has Started To Stir [12/22/2016]
• Naples astride a rumbling mega-volcano [12/21/2016]
• Volcanic eruption near Naples may have killed Neanderthals [02/16/2014]
• Dating the Uluzzian [02/15/2014]
• Italian 'Super Volcano' May Threaten Millions: Scientists plan to drill deep below Romans'... [08/06/2012]
• Volcanoes Killed Off Neanderthals, Study Suggests [09/24/2010]
• Ground Rises Near Ancient Italian Volcano [02/25/2007]

[C19fan]

Baiei has come up before. Baiei was the Sin City of the Roman world, which is saying a lot. If you had the money, you could indulge in any vice in Baiei you wanted. Not even Cicero could say no to the temptation of Baiei.

[dagunk]

“seismic and volcanic activity has caused the coastline to sink as much as 30 feet”

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What??? Not Global Warming????

(do i need to?)