Explorers of our oceans, rivers, and lakes unearth more than mysterious mammals and strange sea creatures. Divers and explorers have discovered a surprising number of underwater cities that were long forgotten or had been written off as mere legends.

From breathtaking monuments and temples that have been submerged in lakes to entire villages standing under the sea, below are some of the most incredible lost cities that had been found in the hidden depths.

Beneath the waves, Italy.

Baiæ does not really belong in the real world. It was known as a playground for the fabulously rich, a resort city reserved for the Roman elite including Julius Caesar, who had a villa there.

Baiæ has even been described as “the Las Vegas of the Roman Empire”!

This was where the highest classes of the ancient Roman society came for parties and blowing off steam. Surviving statues now scatter the seabed. After a few decades from its discovery, it was eventually designated a protected marine area.

Atlit Yam, Israel

The remnants of this Neolithic village were rediscovered in 1984 beneath the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Haifa, Israel. Believed to date from around 7000 BC, it’s one of the earliest sunken settlements to have been uncovered.

Pavlopetri, Greece

What at first glance might look like a lovely spot to go rock-pooling is, in fact, the edge of an ancient sunken city. Pavlopetri is the oldest known submerged city in the world, believed to date back around 5,000 years.

Yonaguni Monument, Japan

Between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean lies an enigma wrapped in mystery. A series of stone formations, from towering monoliths to stacks of slabs and a pyramid, were spotted close to the remote Japanese island of Yonaguni in the mid-1980s by a local diver.

Olous, Greece

The ancient city of Olous was once home to around 40,000 people. Now it sleeps beneath the surface of the Aegean Sea. Its walls and foundations lie just off the northern coast of Crete, close to the village of Elounda, and are visible from the shore.

Simena, Turkey

Simena was a sea-trade post and an ancient Lycian settlement believed to date to around 2000 BC. Simena’s waterfront fate was sealed in the 2nd century when the city was struck by a series of earthquakes and eventually submerged.