'Indiana Jones civilization' 2,000-year-old temple found submerged off Italian coast

Archaeologists person discovered the remains of a 2,000-year-old temple submerged disconnected the Italian seashore adjacent Naples, apt built by immigrants from Nabataea, an past Arabian kingdom. 

Nabataea is known for Petra’s iconic rock-carved structures, including the Treasury, famously featured successful "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

The Nabataean kingdom erstwhile controlled a commercialized web stretching from bluish Arabia to the Mediterranean, dealing successful incense, gold, ivory, and perfumes. Their wealthiness peaked successful the archetypal period A.D., exemplified by Petra’s Treasury.

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The temple, thought to person been utilized by Nabataean traders, was aboriginal buried nether factual and pottery, perchance owed to the traders leaving the area, according to a survey published successful Antiquity connected September 12.

Student Michele Stefanile with the Scuola Superiore Meridionale successful Italy archetypal began the underwater survey successful 2021 to hunt the area.

Camels seen successful beforehand of The Treasury successful Petra, a celebrated archaeological site. Petra is simply a UNESCO World Heritage tract and 1 of the 7 wonders of the world. Formerly an past Nabataean capital, contiguous Petra is inhabited by The Bidoul Bedouins. (Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"When I was a student, I was impressed by the beingness of immoderate Nabatean worldly recovered somewhere successful the sea in Puteoli since the XVIII century, and I was besides astonished that cipher truly organized a hunt for this awesome humanities testimony.," said Michele Stefanile, a maritime archaeologist astatine the Southern Graduate School successful Naples to Fox News Digital.

The temple lies adjacent Pozzuoli, astir 10 miles eastbound of Naples. During Roman times, Pozzuoli was known arsenic Puteoli and served arsenic a trading port.

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In 2023, researchers mapping the seafloor discovered 2 submerged rooms with Roman-style walls. The rooms, astir 32 by 16 feet, contained 2 achromatic marble altars, each with rectangular recesses that apt held ineffable stones.

"It seems that we person a gathering dedicated to the Nabataean gods, but with Roman architecture and Latin inscription," Stefanile said to Live Science.

Aerial presumption of a recently-discovered Nabataean temple disconnected the seashore of Napoli successful Italy. (Michele Stefanile, Antiquity)

Marble slabs successful the rooms were inscribed successful Latin with the operation "Dusari sacrum," meaning "consecrated to Dushara," the deity of the Nabataean people.

Volcanic enactment implicit centuries has submerged astir 1.2 miles of Roman-era buildings adjacent Pozzuoli, including warehouses and different structures from the past port. Artifacts recovered since the 18th period suggested a temple mightiness beryllium buried there, but its nonstop determination was chartless until now.

Underwater photos taken by Michele Stefanile amusement leftover slabs from the Nabataean temple. (Michele Stefanile, Antiquity)

"Possibly aft Trajan's conquest of Arabia successful 106 A.D., the Nabataeans had nary much anticipation of escaped trading successful Puteoli, and they perchance abandoned the harbor," Stefanile said to Live Science.

After Nabataea was annexed into the Roman Empire successful A.D. 106, the inland commercialized routes controlled by the Nabataeans collapsed. The temple astatine Puteoli whitethorn person been buried successful effect to these changes.

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"The full portion is characterized by an aggravated volcanic activity, that caused the submersion of the full past coastal portion astatine a extent of 0-6 meters," according to the Scuola Superirore Meridionale.