Caligula's Ships Under Lake Nemi
For centuries, fishermen on a small lake near Rome tangled their nets on something huge on the bottom. It turned out to be two giant ships built for an emperor.
What was reported
Lake Nemi is a small volcanic lake in the Alban Hills. Fishermen long told of great ships lying in its depths, and pulled up beams, bronze fittings and nails. Divers and engineers tried to raise them from the 1400s onwards, without success.
Between 1928 and 1932, the lake was partly drained, and two enormous ships emerged from the mud, each about 70 metres long. They had been built for the emperor Caligula, as floating palaces and temples, with marble floors, heating and lead pipes.
Explanations offered
The ships were displayed in a museum built on the shore, but in 1944, during the Second World War, a fire destroyed them. Only bronze fittings and a few pieces survive. A replica project has been planned.
- When
- Sunk in the 1st century; raised 1928–1932
- Where
- Lake Nemi, Lazio, Italy
- Witnesses
- Fishermen for centuries, and archaeologists
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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