Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 2,000-year-old temple sunk off the Italian coast near Naples, which was likely built by immigrants from the ancient Arab kingdom of Nabataea.
Nabataea is known for Petra’s iconic rock-carved structures, including the Treasury, famously featured in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
The Nabataean Empire once controlled a trade network stretching from northern Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea, trading in incense, gold, ivory, and perfume.
Their wealth peaked in the 1st century AD, exemplified by the Treasure of Petra.
According to a study published in Antiquity on September 12, the temple was believed to have been used by Nabataean traders, but was later buried under concrete and pottery, possibly as traders left the area.
Michele Stefanelli, a student at the Scuola Superiore Meridionale in Italy, first began underwater studies in 2021 to explore the area.
“When I was a student, I was impressed by the presence of some Nabataean material found somewhere in the sea off Puteoli since the XVIII century, and I was also amazed that someone actually hunted for this impressive historical evidence. Was not organised.” said Michel Stefanile, a marine archaeologist at the Southern Graduate School in Naples, to Fox News Digital.
The temple is located near Pozzuoli, about 10 miles east of Naples.
During Roman times, Pozzuoli was known as Puteoli and served as a trading port.
In 2023, researchers mapping the ocean floor discovered two submerged rooms with Roman-style walls. The rooms, approximately 32 by 16 feet, contained two white marble altars, each with rectangular recesses that probably held sacred stones.
“It looks like we have a building dedicated to the Nabataean gods, but with Roman architecture and Latin inscriptions,” Stephanile told Live Science.
Marble slabs in the rooms were inscribed with the phrase “Dusari Sacrum” in Latin, meaning “dedicated to Dushara”, the god of the Nabataean people.
Centuries of volcanic activity have submerged about 1.2 miles of Roman-era buildings near Pozzuoli, including warehouses and other structures of the ancient port.
Artifacts from the 18th century suggest there may have been a temple burial there, but its exact location was until now unknown.
“Probably after Trajan’s conquest of Arabia in 106 AD, the Nabataeans no longer had any prospects for free trade in Puteoli, and they probably abandoned the port,” Stephanile told Live Science.
After Nabataea was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 106 AD, the inland trade routes controlled by the Nabataeans collapsed.
The temple at Puteoli may have been buried in response to these changes.
According to the Scuola Superiore Meridionale, “the entire area is characterized by intense volcanic activity, which led to the submergence of the entire ancient coastal strip at a depth of 0–6 metres.”
