Archaeologists believe they have found bathhouse remains linked to Cicero in the submerged city of Baiae, near Naples. Divers uncovered a mosaic at a depth of 10 feet, suggesting it belonged to Cicero's villa, which went underwater around the fourth century AD. Baiae was a luxury spa town popular among Rome's elite for its mineral-rich waters. The mosaic accompanied an advanced heating system that maintained warm air in the baths. Historically, Baiae attracted many influential figures for leisure and indulgence, earning a reputation for opulence and vice.
The remains of the ancient baths were found beneath the water in the sunken city of Baiae, on the coast of the Bay of Naples.
Divers discovered an ornate mosaic 10 feet (three metres) below the waves, in an area which was once home to the harbour of Portus Julius.
The hypothesis, currently being explored, is that we may be looking at the Baths of Cicero's villa, known from sources.
Baiae was soon so synonymous with indulgence and sin that the poet Sextus Propertius described it as a 'vortex of luxury' and a 'harbour of vice'.
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