Between 1928 and 1932, two enormous wooden ships, which once belonged to Emperor Caligula, and had lain on the bottom of the Lake Nemi for over nineteen hundred years, were salvaged in what was perhaps the greatest underwater archaeological recovery ever accomplished.

The larger ship was essentially an elaborate floating palace, which contained quantities of marble, mosaic floors, heating, and plumbing such as baths among its amenities. Both ships featured technology long thought to be recent inventions.

As one of his royal passions, Emperor Caligula ordered several large barges to be built to use on Lake Nemi. The two vessels, which were designated in modern times as Prima Nave and Seconda Nave, (First Ship and Second Ship), had dimensions of 70m x 20m (230ft x 66ft) and 73m x 24m (240ft x 79ft) respectively.

While there can be little doubt that the ships were built at the capricious whim of a spendthrift despot, their intended purpose and eventual use have long been the subject of debate by scholars and historians. Some contend that Caligula built the barges to show the rulers of Syracuse, Sicily, and the Ptolemaic rulers in Egypt that

Rome could match any luxurious pleasure barges that they built.Other scholars argue that Caligula designed one of his ships as a floating temple to Diana and some say that the other ship may have been used as a floating palace where Caligula and his court could indulge in the depravities that history has credited to him.

Credit: Rare Historical Photos