There's a Sunken Roman Empire Beneath Tunisia's Mediterranean Coast
Somewhere between Nabeul's beach resorts and the sprawl of Hammamet, the sea keeps a secret—a forgotten city lost to time and tide, only rediscovered beneath the waves in 2017.
Welcome to Neapolis, one of the largest underwater archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. But don't expect fences or ticket booths. There's no museum gift shop or Instagram queue. Just open water, shifting sand, and the ghost of a city hidden beneath the surf.
What Neapolis once was, no one knows for certain. Traces of Roman life lie scattered offshore—amphorae, vats, fragments of columns—all hinting at a once-bustling port, perhaps famed for producing garum, that potent fish sauce so prized across the empire. And then, sometime in the 4th century, something changed. An earthquake, a tsunami, or the slow erosion of empire—whatever the cause, the city slipped into silence, claimed by the sea.
Today, the remains of Neapolis lie partially submerged just off the Tunisian coast. Local swimmers glide above sunken stones. A few curious divers glimpse collapsed walls and ceramic shards. But for the most part, Neapolis sleeps on, undisturbed, half in the water and half in the imagination.
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What if one of the Med's largest Roman cities just… disappeared? Neapolis did. Somewhere between Nabeul's beach resorts and the sprawl of Hammamet, the sea keeps a secret—a forgotten city lost to time and tide, only rediscovered beneath the waves in 2017. Welcome to Neapolis, one of the largest underwater archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. But don't expect fences or ticket booths. There's no museum gift shop or Instagram queue. Just open water, shifting sand, and the ghost of a city hidden beneath the surf. What Neapolis once was, no one knows for certain. Traces of Roman life lie scattered offshore—amphorae, vats, fragments of columns—all hinting at a once-bustling port, perhaps famed for producing garum, that potent fish sauce so prized across the empire. And then, sometime in the 4th century, something changed. An earthquake, a tsunami, or the slow erosion of empire—whatever the cause, the city slipped into silence, claimed by the sea. Today, the remains of Neapolis lie partially submerged just off the Tunisian coast. Local swimmers glide above sunken stones. A few curious divers glimpse collapsed walls and ceramic shards. But for the most part, Neapolis sleeps on, undisturbed, half in the water and half in the imagination.
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