Luxurious bathhouse of famous historical figure found in sunken 'city of vice'

Archaeologists believe they have found a bathhouse that once belonged to the Roman lawyer and statesman Cicero. The remains of the ancient baths have been discovered underwater in the sunken city of Baiae, on the coast of the Gulf of Naples.

Divers have discovered a richly decorated mosaic three metres below the surface of the water in the area where Portus Julius was once located, the Daily Mail reports. This is where ancient sources claim Cicero's villa stood before it collapsed into the sea around the fourth century AD.

Situated south of the capital, Baiae was once a thriving spa town where Rome's richest and most powerful citizens came to escape the summer heat and enjoy the area's mineral-rich waters.

In a post on social media, the Phlegraean Fields Archaeological Park wrote: "The hypothesis currently being explored is that we may be looking at the baths of Cicero's Villa, known from sources."

The mosaic floor was probably once laid with an improved Roman heating system that converted the room into a sauna, or laconicum.

Archaeologists discovered that the network of pipes and columns that pumped hot air evenly into the bath were still intact after nearly two millennia underwater.

Baiae had already been a popular holiday destination for the Roman elite since the second century BC, with the poet Livy praising the healing properties of its waters, the Daily Mail reports. By the first century BC, Baiae had become the ancient equivalent of Monte Carlo and was a renowned centre of pleasure and vice. The likes of Julius Caesar, Augustus and Nero flocked to the city to flaunt their wealth, have affairs and indulge in non-stop decadent parties. Baiae soon became so synonymous with indulgence and sin that the poet Sextus Propertius described it as a "whirlpool of luxury" and a "haven of vice".

In one infamous episode, the mad emperor Caligula ordered a 5km-long floating bridge to be built so he could cross the bay on horseback, the Daily Mail notes.

However, the city began to sink through a process called volcanic bradyseism, where volcanic activity causes land to rise or fall, causing the bay to sink below sea level. By the 4th century AD, much of the city had sunk 4-6 meters below water, leaving behind one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in the country.

Since its discovery in the 1940s, archaeologists have gradually begun to uncover more of the lost ruins of the Roman Empire's Sin City. In 2023, divers discovered an intact mosaic floor supported by small brick columns and surrounded by ceramic fragments.

The baths are part of a wider network of rooms, pools and service corridors that catered to Rome’s elite. Now that archaeologists have completed documenting the site, they believe it is the remains of Cicero’s long-lost villa. Born in 106 BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero was a renowned scholar and lawyer in the last days of the Roman Republic, the Daily Mail reports. During his life, he fought in vain to preserve Rome’s republican values ​​as the city descended into the civil war that would eventually give birth to the empire.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Cicero attempted to use Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, to retain power. However, Octavian turned against Cicero and ordered his execution in December 43 BC.

Modern sources note that Cicero had a villa in Baiae where he spent holidays when not in Rome, but the exact location has since been lost to time.

The researchers called the work "exciting" but said more research would be needed to say for sure whether it was Cicero's villa. They wrote: "Of particular note are the ceramic materials found during the excavations and currently being studied, which appear to provide important information about both the construction and destruction of the site.

Work on restoring the bath complex, in particular the mosaic floors and fragments of paintings, will begin in the autumn, writes the Daily Mail.

A member of the research team added: "This discovery not only illuminates the daily lives of the Roman elite, but also expands our understanding of the social and cultural structure of the era."