NARRATOR: The history and fate of Neapolis
has intrigued archaeologists for hundreds of years,
because ancient documents reveal next to nothing
on how this once thriving Roman city gained its importance.
For the past 15 years, archaeologist Dr. Mounir Fantar
has attempted to solve this mystery.
The few records of Neapolis that do exist
mention the city had a commercial port,
but Fantar had failed to find any evidence of it
in the site's archeology.
It took a massive storm to finally give Fantar his answer.
[THUNDER CRASHING]
In 2013, heavy winds hit the southern Mediterranean,
ravaging the seabed off the coast of Nabeul.
Days later, strange stone shapes began
to emerge from the seafloor, shapes that
appeared unnaturally straight.
Further investigations revealed something startling.
They were the remains of a Roman settlement--
stone blocks, columns, and foundations.
Could these remains be the missing
harbor-front of Neapolis Fantar had been searching for?
To find out, he and his team took
their investigation to the sky.
Using drone imagery, they built up
a full view from above of the ruins on land and underwater.
And it revealed something astounding.
The remains in the sea lined up with those on the shore.
For Fantar, this could only mean one thing.
They must have belonged to the same Roman settlement.
It was a discovery that stunned archaeologists.
Now, after years of underwater investigation,
Fantar's team has mapped out a complex of buildings, streets,
and a large industrial site.
The remains of Neapolis have grown from a suburban community
to a vast urban layout.
And these newly discovered, submerged ruins could finally
unlock the mystery of Neapolis's importance,
because they seem to include what Fantar
had spent years searching for--
ruins of a harbor, just as the historical records suggested.
Large enough to make it a major hub for international trade.
On land and underwater, the ruins of Neapolis
now bear all the hallmarks of a major Roman port.
But what was the secret of the city's success?
And what ultimately destroyed it?