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Dive into the depths with us as we explore five captivating cities that now lie beneath the waves and unveil striking underwater structures discovered in Europe.
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00:00Ever since Plato wrote about the allegory of Atlantis, humanity has been fascinated with
00:06the possibility of the discovery of a thriving underwater civilization.
00:12Fancy joining me on a trip to a few historic underwater sites?
00:16Let's see what we can find out about ancient civilizations!
00:21The first one on our list is what is being called the underwater stonehenge.
00:27Scientists have recently discovered a mysterious pile of cairns that stretch for miles under the
00:33shimmering waters of Lake Constance at the borders of Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
00:41Archaeologists began to explore the site back in 2015 and they haven't been able to understand yet
00:47what it was actually used for. What they do know is that there is a 12-mile line of 170
00:54human-made stone cairns under Lake Constance. Scientists say this was most likely the
01:01result of a combined work of several villages. The cairns site was probably used for some
01:07collective purpose. The formations are huge! Some of them are several dozen feet wide!
01:14The most amazing discovery so far is that the site dates back to around 5,500 years ago.
01:22Now, what were we humans doing back then? We were living in the prime years of the so-called Stone
01:29Age.
01:29We were beginning to make artifacts from stone and use them to hunt and eat. Can you imagine what a
01:36knife
01:36and fork might have looked like back in those days? It's no coincidence that scientists call this site
01:43the underwater Stonehenge though. Both sites are believed to have been built around the same period
01:48of time. You see, Stonehenge dates back to around 3100 BCE. Both sites carry the distinct characteristic
01:58of stone monuments built in a circle. Not to mention the fact that scientists also haven't figured out
02:05why on earth our early ancestors would feel the need to build a monument such as Stonehenge.
02:11Well, the mystery of Lake Constance hasn't been solved yet. Who were the Neolithic people from this area?
02:18And for what purpose did they go through such an amount of work and effort to build this huge stone
02:24site?
02:26Next, we're taking you on a tour of the Ryukyu Islands just off the coast of Japan. You're diving deep
02:33down to an archaeological site. But I should warn you, the waters of the Pacific Ocean are far from smooth.
02:41It doesn't take long before you see a huge structure, thanks to the sunlight shining down on the seabed.
02:49At first, it looks like Machu Picchu's ruins located across the globe in Peru.
02:55As you approach the site, you slowly figure out its forms. A pyramid-shaped structure, arches,
03:02staircases. It's something that could have easily been a palace or a castle. Could this be a sign of
03:08human activity? What you've just seen is known today as the Yonaguni Monument. It also goes by the
03:16name of Japan's Atlantis. The entire monument is about the size of five soccer fields and the height
03:23of a five-story building. Its most surprising feature is its expanse of terraces. Explorers and scientists
03:31believe that Yonaguni might be 10,000 years old. But whether it's a human-made structure or a natural
03:39formation is still under debate. For Japan's top marine geologist, Professor Masaki Kimura,
03:47Yonaguni is the heritage of a lost civilization. Kimura has dived to the bottom of the ocean to
03:54explore the ruins over 100 times over the past 10 years. According to him, there are clear signs of
04:02human activity down there. On the monument surface, there is a triangle-shaped concave that is a
04:09historical symbol of water fountains in the region. There is also a giant turtle carved on the eastern
04:16side of the structure. And according to Kimura, turtles have an important cultural meaning. Several pieces
04:23of stone tools have been recovered from the site. Their estimated age is around 10,000 years.
04:31However, not all scientists support this theory. For many, Yonaguni is the result of thousands of
04:38years of erosion. The fact that the monument is composed of one massive rock leads them to believe
04:45it's not human-made. The defined edges and flat surfaces resemble a natural formation in Northern
04:52Island known as the Giant's Causeway. The basalt columns look like the ruins of a palace, but they're
04:59actually the result of volcanic activity in the region. Now, you're flying to the coast of Greece,
05:07four hours away from Athens. More specifically, you're in the Peloponnese Peninsula. You dust off
05:14an old snorkel and head for a free dive on a bright sunny day. Sometime into the dive, you start
05:21noticing
05:21patterns on a seabed. 13 feet below the surface, outlines of familiar objects start to appear,
05:28one by one. As you continue swimming, what looks like the outline of an entire city emerges in front of
05:36your eyes. Are you wondering how water could have taken the whole city? Rocks are perfectly aligned into
05:43what appears to be the foundation of a building. This is Pavlopetri, an ancient city you've probably
05:50heard about for the first time. It was discovered by Nicholas Fleming, a British oceanographer when he
05:57was on vacation in Greece. He had heard rumors about Pavlopetri's existence and indeed found several
06:05artifacts on the sea floor. He went back to the area a year later with the team. They found a
06:11site
06:12filled with pots, storage vessels, and tools. A Kernstone, for instance, is a tool used for grinding
06:19grains and turning them into flour. Multiple amphoras indicate that this settlement dates back to the
06:26Bronze Age, 5,500 years ago when people started living in towns. The settlement is believed to have
06:34existed for over 2,400 years. Today, Pavlopetri is considered the oldest submerged town ever discovered,
06:43and what's impressive is that it wasn't a simple village. It was a vibrant port city with stone
06:50buildings, a marketplace, streets, and even squares. The next stop on our voyage is one of today's most
06:59famous underwater cities that has been turned into an archaeological park. The city of Port Royal in
07:06Jamaica exists only below the surface, but in 1692 it was one of the wealthiest cities in the western
07:14hemisphere. Port Royal was the center of the British Empire at the time and an important trade city that
07:21attracted people from all over the region. It was also home to real-life pirates of the Caribbean.
07:28On the morning of June 7, 1692, the people of Port Royal met a different fate than they had probably
07:36expected. The city woke up shaking. People were thrown out of their beds by the power of a massive
07:43earthquake, ranking 7.5 on a Richter scale. One survivor said he had seen earth opening up and
07:49swallowing the whole town. What he said could be true, as the city was mainly built on sand. The ground
07:56swallowed buildings, roads, you name it. Geysers erupted and finally, waves as big as 10-story buildings
08:04hit the city. About 33 acres of the city disappeared under the water. Amazingly, most of its 17th century
08:13remains are still in good condition under 40 feet of water. Archaeologists have found taverns, storage rooms,
08:20kitchens and recreational buildings used for diverse purposes. You can also see a grand lion statue,
08:27a submerged bridge and many picturesque arches. Of course, I saved the best for last, India. Just off
08:35its coast lies another sunken marvel. A site known as the Lost City of Cambay is located in the Gulf
08:42with a
08:43similar name. It remained undiscovered until 2001, when the National Institute of Ocean Technology made a
08:50routine water assessment. With the help of sonar technology, which sends a wave sound to the bottom
08:57of the sea, they found something far beneath the surface. Images showed well-defined geometric shapes
09:04spread along a five-mile stretch. The remains date to more than 9,500 years ago, meaning this civilization
09:12was lost at around the end of the Ice Age. Debris recovered from the site included construction materials,
09:19pottery, beads, sculptures and even bones. Scientists argue whether these artifacts are indeed from the site,
09:27but if they truly are, then the Lost City of Cambay might be the oldest civilization in the world.
09:45Question for you. Do you think Atlantis could be real? It remains as one of history's greatest mysteries.
09:51The legend began with Plato all the way back in ancient Greece, the tale of a civilization that formed
09:57and prospered before our own. Atlantis was supposedly a highly technological society, much like the Mayans.
10:04But, as the legend says, due to the people's greed, they were punished by a flood that destroyed and
10:10submerged their cities. Different theories try to guess Atlantis' location. Some say it was in the
10:19Mediterranean Sea. Some say it's beneath the Bermuda Triangle. But, as science has shown us, Atlantis may be
10:26only an allegory for humankind. Today, you'll discover several amazing underwater cities that
10:32you have never heard of. They existed indeed and are not just a myth. We're taking you on an excursion
10:40to
10:40the underwater city of Baia, which is on the coast of Italy. Known as the Las Vegas of the Roman
10:46Empire,
10:47Baia was a resort city. The Roman elite traveled there for recreation. Imagine an open-air spa.
10:53That was Baia. You can visit the submerged town by scuba diving and get close to that perfectly
11:00preserved magnificent Roman sculpture. A true underwater wonder. You can spot the crumbled
11:06temples and buildings through glass-bottomed boats. This is a moss-covered museum in Claudio's
11:12Nymphium. To your left, you can see a collection of classical Greek statues. Swimming down the Via
11:18Herculiana, you'll arrive at Villa Approtio. Villas are Italian-style houses, and here,
11:24you can admire their original marble floors. Notice the black and white patterns and the astounding
11:30shapes they make. Next, you'll arrive at Portus Julius. Can you see the collapsing wall structures
11:36at the bottom of the seafloor? You'll see well-preserved columns and limestone floors.
11:41Behold the ruins of the thermal baths of Lacus. The remaining multicolored mosaics are something
11:47great to see. You'll see their orange, blue, and green tiles if you get close enough. At Pisoni's
11:53Villa Pilla, you'll see 25 preserved Roman pillars. Notice the arches, the frescoes nearby,
12:00and the magnitude of this well-kept treasure. The city was located over natural volcanic vents,
12:05so there were hot springs to be used at will. People went there looking to have an excellent
12:10time. And when I say people, I mean some of the great Roman emperors we learn about in school.
12:16Nero, Cicero, Caesar. But around the 8th century, the city was sacked, and the luxurious town was
12:23abandoned. Slowly, the water level rose, and the city started to drown. You are on a summer vacation
12:30off the coast of Greece, four hours outside of Athens, in the Peloponnese Peninsula, on Pavlopetri.
12:37You dust off your snorkel and head for a free dive on a bright sunny day. Sometime into the dive,
12:43you start noticing patterns on the seabed. Thirteen feet below the surface, the outline of familiar
12:49objects starts to appear, one by one. As you continue swimming, what looks like the outline of an entire
12:56city emerges before your eyes. You wonder, how could water have taken the whole city?
13:02Rocks are perfectly aligned into what appears to be the foundation of a building. Nicholas Fleming,
13:08a British oceanographer on vacation in Greece, was the person that discovered Pavlopetri. He was
13:14documenting the seafloor artifacts. The team found the site filled with pots, storage vessels, and tools.
13:20A quern stone, for instance, is a tool used for grinding grains and turning them into flour.
13:27Multiple amphoras, which were found then, indicate that this settlement dated back to the Bronze Age,
13:325,500 years ago, when people started living in towns. The settlement is believed to have lasted for
13:39over 2,400 years. Pavlopetri is considered today the oldest submerged town yet found, and it's impressive
13:47that it wasn't a simple village. It was a vibrant port city, with stone-built buildings, a marketplace,
13:53streets, and even squares. Let's continue our exploration and find secrets in other underwater
14:00cities. You are diving off the coast of the Ryukyu Islands. Pacific waters are far from smooth. There's a
14:06strong current pulling you into the deep sea. Suddenly, you see a huge structure thanks to the sunlight
14:12shining down on the seabed. At first, it looks like Machu Picchu's ruins across the globe in Peru.
14:19As you approach it, you slowly figure out its form. A pyramid-shaped structure, arches, staircases.
14:26It's something that could have easily been a palace or castle. Could this also be a sign of human
14:32activity? What you just saw is known today as the Yanaguni Monument. It also goes by the name of
14:39Japan's Atlantis. The entire monument is about the size of five football fields and the height of a
14:45five-story building. Its most surprising feature is its expansive terraces that host large crowd
14:51gatherings. Explorers and scientists believe that Yanaguni dates back to 10,000 years ago. But whether
14:57it is a man-made structure or a natural formation is still under debate. For Japan's top marine geologist,
15:04Professor Masaki Kimura, Yanaguni is the heritage of a lost civilization. Kimura has dived into exploring
15:12the ruins over 100 times over the past 10 years. According to him, there are clear signs of human
15:18activity down there. The triangle pool, located on the monument's surface, is a triangle-shaped
15:24concave that is a historical symbol of water fountains in the region. There is also a giant turtle carved
15:30on the eastern side of the structure. And according to Kimura, turtles have an important cultural
15:35meaning. Several pieces of stone tools have been recovered from the site. Their estimated age dates
15:41back to 10,000 years ago. However, not all scientists are convinced of the same. For many,
15:48Yanaguni is the result of thousands of years of erosion. The fact that the monument is composed of one
15:54massive rock leads them to believe that it is not human-made. The defined edges and flat surfaces
16:00resemble a natural formation occurrence in Northern Ireland, known as Giant's Causeway. A series of
16:06interlocking basalt columns look like the ruins of a palace, but they were the result of volcanic
16:12activity in the region. Well, stay tuned for more underwater discoveries!
16:18The next stop on our voyage is one of today's most famous underwater cities that has turned
16:23into an underwater archaeological park. The city of Port Royal in Jamaica exists today only below the
16:30surface. But in 1692, it was one of the wealthiest cities in the Western Hemisphere. Port Royal was the
16:37center of the British Empire at the time, and an important trade city that attracted people from all
16:42over. It was also home to real-life pirates of the Caribbean. On the morning of June 7, 1692,
16:50the people of Port Royal met a different fate than they probably expected. The bars and restaurants
16:55beaming with life woke up shaking. People were taken out of bed with the power of a massive earthquake,
17:02estimated today at 7.5 on the Richter scale. One survivor says he saw the earth opening up and
17:09swallowing the town whole. What he said could be true, as the city was mainly built over sand.
17:14The ground sucked buildings, roads, and everyone above. Geysers erupted, and finally, waves as big
17:21as 10-story-high buildings hit the city. About 33 acres of the city disappeared underwater, and
17:28amazingly, most of its 17th-century remains lie in good condition under 40 feet of water. In the ruins,
17:35archaeologists have found taverns, storage rooms, kitchens, and recreational buildings used for
17:40diverse purposes. You can see a grand lion statue, a submerged bridge, and many picturesque arches.
17:48Now, do you fancy a trip to India? Just outside its coast lies another sunken marvel. A site known as
17:56the Lost City of Kambay is located on the Gulf of a similar name. It remained hidden until 2001,
18:02when the National Institute of Ocean Technology did a routine water assessment.
18:07With sonar technology, which sends a wave of sound to the bottom of the sea,
18:11they found something far beneath the surface. Images showed well-defined geometric shapes
18:17spread along a five-mile stretch. The remains found dated to more than 9,500 years ago,
18:24meaning that this civilization was lost at around the end of the Ice Age.
18:29Debris recovered from the site included construction material, pottery, beads, sculptures, and even bones.
18:36Scientists argue whether these artifacts are indeed from the site, but if they truly are,
18:41then the Lost City of Kambay would be the oldest civilization in the world.
18:46The Lost City of Kambay is a Damage.
18:46The Lost City of Kambay .
18:47Uncanny is a person.
18:47The Lost City of Kambay is a person.
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