Archaeologists have unearthed two altars from a Nabatean temple that were discovered submerged on Pozzuoli's seafloor. It is believed that Puteoli, a commercial port in this region of southern Italy, once had its center at the now submerged temple.

Archaeologists have determined that the submerged temple's remnants date to the first fifty years after its construction. Similar to a larger, huge altar that was found in the same area in 1965, the altars are similar to that altar. The foundation of the altar is claimed to be inscribed with the words DVSARI SACRVM, which translate as "holy to Dusares."

This inscription refers to Dushara, the chief deity of the Nabatean pantheon and a deity unique to this religion. The researchers claim that votive niches on the tops of the altars found in the drowned temple once held betyls, tiny sacred stones used as deity effigies.

The Nabatean pantheon was aniconic, as are all monotheistic religions.

Instead, the submerged temple shows how the pantheon represented the gods that were worshipped there using standing stones and other cultic stelae. With the discovery of this collection of altars, the total number of Nabatean-related discoveries in this area of the buried city now stands at five. There might be other relics dispersed throughout the seafloor.

The existence of this Nabatean temple has long been known. Archaeologists haven't yet been able to locate it precisely, though. Researchers will now be able to locate the exact site of the temple and possibly gain additional insight into how the Nabateans interacted with locals and business owners.

Discovering these kinds of discoveries is always exciting, especially as archaeologists continue their search for the Atlantis passage, which is still believed to exist. Simply simply, this submerged temple acts as another relic of prior human existence.