ISABEL RUBIO ARROYO | Tungsteno
The lost city of Atlantis has captured the collective imagination for centuries. According to ancient myths and tales, this enigmatic land vanished mysteriously beneath the waves. Despite the fascination it generates and the countless theories and searches for its supposed underwater ruins, science has found no conclusive evidence of its actual existence. However, history does offer us real examples of cities that have truly been claimed by the sea.
A window into the Bronze Age under the sea
In 1967, British oceanographer Nicholas C. Flemming discovered the remains of an ancient city under the sea, near the island of Elafonisos in southern Greece. The site was identified as Pavlopetri, a settlement that is thought to date back to the Bronze Age. The following year, a team from the University of Cambridge organised an expedition to study the site. Around 5,000 years old, Pavlopetri is one of the oldest known submerged cities, with streets, buildings and tombs still preserved beneath the sea.
The prehistoric city covered 90,000 square metres and featured a complex water management system—with canals and drains, as well as a cemetery. “This neglected place in prehistoric times had occurred to be a thriving port with intense social stratification, and a lifestyle that made the Head of Investigation John Henderson to talk about the Greek Pompeii,” note the authors of a 2016 study. Several studies suggest that the city may have been submerged around 1000 BCE. Three theories attempt to explain how this happened: one suggests a gradual rise in the sea level, another a sinking of the land, and a third that a combination of earthquake and tsunami caused the city’s disappearance.
Digital reconstruction of Pavlopetri. Credit: University of Nottingham
Temples, jewels and sunken ships
In the year 2000, underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio discovered the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion, located seven kilometres off the Egyptian coast in the Nile Delta. Founded in all likelihood in the 8th century BCE, this port city served for centuries as the main gateway to Egypt for ships arriving from the Greek world, and it was renowned for its commercial and religious significance.
The city suffered several natural disasters, and it is believed that an earthquake eventually caused it to sink beneath the sea. The European Institute for Underwater Archaeology has studied the submerged site and uncovered more than 60 shipwrecks near its ruins, reflecting the area’s intense marine activity. During excavations in 2023, researchers discovered the remains of a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite, as well as a temple to the god Amun. They also found gold jewellery, silver artefacts, ceramics, and bronzes imported from Greece. Well-preserved wooden structures were also found, as well as ritual and funerary items, such as silver libation dishes (used for offerings poured in honour of a deity) and alabaster vessels for perfumes and ointments.
Heracleion, the ancient Egyptian port city that collapsed beneath the sea.
The "wickedest" city of the New World
Port Royal, in Jamaica, was once the most important commercial center in the New World. The town, “commonly referred to as "the wickedest city on earth", conjures images of marauding pirates, daring naval conquests, looting, riches, destruction and devastation,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It began as a strategic cay used for cleaning and refitting ships when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Following the English conquest in 1655, it quickly developed into a fortified city and flourished as the principal commercial and naval port of the English Caribbean. Its economy thrived on the slave trade, sugar, and privateering—and it gained notoriety as a lawless paradise of alcohol, money, and sex, where one in four buildings was reportedly either a bar or a brothel.
Old map of Port Royal. Credit: The Gentleman’s Magazine / Wikimedia Commons
Excavations have revealed that beyond its many taverns, Port Royal also featured workshops, homes, and warehouses. The city stood out for its wealth and its prominence as a key center of trade and piracy in the Caribbean. In 1692, a devastating earthquake caused two-thirds of the city to sink into the sea. Subsequent fires and hurricanes thwarted any attempts at full recovery. Although Port Royal persisted as a British naval base and secondary port, it never regained its former status as a thriving hub of commerce and piracy. Today, it survives as a small fishing village in Jamaica.
