A team of underwater archaeologists has discovered an ancient mosaic off the coast of Naples, Italy.
The rare find was discovered in the Baia Submerged Archaeological Park.
“Thousands of marble slabs, hundreds of different shapes, [were] “They came together to create a highly articulated geometry,” Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park officials wrote in a Facebook post.
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The park is located in Campi Flegrei, an area of volcanic origin.
“Thousands of marble slabs, hundreds of different shapes, brought together to create a highly articulated geometry,” explained the managers of the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park in a Facebook post. (Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park)
The pieces are believed to have originally come from a reception room in a villa built towards the end of the Roman Empire before volcanic activity, known as “bradysism”, drove the remains to the seabed.
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“There is the phenomenon of bradysism, which consists of a rise (positive bradysism) or fall of the ground level (negative bradysism) that is relatively slow on the scale of human time but very rapid compared to geological times,” reads the website of the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park.
The underwater mosaic found off the coast of Naples, Italy, measures more than 250 square meters. (Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park)
The mosaic found measures more than 250 square meters.
“A very expensive and demanding intervention for the owner of the Villa, but he had to make do with recycled materials, namely second-hand marble, to create the chosen module, made up of refined squares, each with inscribed circles,” reads the Facebook post.
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The discovery was a result of a joint effort between the CSR for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage and the Naumacos Center for Archaeology and Underwater Technology. (Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park)
The local mayor of the municipality of Bacoli, Josi Gerardo Della Ragione, said the findings were “stupendous,” according to a Facebook post.
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“Look at the results of the latest restoration at sea. A marble floor from an ancient villa from the Roman era. In the imperial city that lies on the seabed of Bacoli. In the largest underwater archaeological park in the world,” he wrote.
He thanked the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park and said the discovery would help boost tourism.
Researchers are working to extract the marble chunks from the ocean floor. (Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park)
The discovery was a result of a joint effort between the CSR for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage and the Naumacos Center for Archaeology and Underwater Technology.
Researchers are working to extract the marble chunks from the ocean floor.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park for comment.
