For archaeologists, it's hard not to think of what could have happened if some of the most important structures of the past were still standing. For instance, one can only speculate how much the world would have changed if the famous Library of Alexandria had never burned down.
But while that event has become one of history's greatest intellectual tragedies, historians and archaeologists alike can at least say they know what happened to it. But the fates of other sites of similar significance remain shrouded in mystery, which is arguably just as maddening. However, one of the most revered lost temples of antiquity may have finally been discovered.
A holy site in its time
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus was built by ancient Phoenicians between 900 and 800 BCE.
Also known as the Temple of Melqart, it supposedly featured giant bronze depictions of the 12 labors of Hercules. At the time, he was understood to be the heroic son of Zeus rather than the mythical figure he is today.
Maintained with dignity
The Smithsonian Magazine further reported that the temple was adorned with towering columns and hosted an eternal flame that was regularly maintained by a priest.
And those watching over the temple weren't just doing so for their health, as this was a sacred pilgrimage site for both Greeks and Romans.
Even conquerors paid their respects
Perhaps the most famous visit saw Julius Caesar pass through and weep when he came across a statue of Alexander the Great.
The Roman Emperor had followed Alexander's life story closely and reportedly felt bitter at what he had accomplished at his age compared to the nations Alexander had conquered by then.
A happier occasion
According to El Pais, Hannibal made his own voyage to the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus about a century and a half earlier.
And while he came in better spirits, he was there to offer solemn thanks for the success of a recent military campaign. The Smithsonian Magazine specifically placed that campaign in what is now the Italian peninsula.
The Holy Grail
But in the millennia since Julius Caesar's visit, the location of the temple became lost to history. Historians and archaeologists searched for it over the course of centuries with no real luck.
For that reason, the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus is often considered the Holy Grail of ancient historical sites. The only greater discovery would be Atlantis.
How to make a landmark discovery without really trying
Despite the temple's legendary status, a Ph.D. student from Seville University named Ricardo Belizón had no intention of finding it when he started to work on his doctoral thesis.
Instead, he had set out to answer an entirely different question that has puzzled archaeologists just as strongly for many years.
Mysteries of a Spanish bay
In 1794, historian Antonio Ponz examined the maze-like blend of terrestrial and aquatic environments in the Bay of Cádiz (pictured). He wondered how far the land in this area must have once stretched into the sea.
For Belizón, this was a question worth exploring, so he set out to determine what Cádiz's landscape would have looked like in ancient times.
Access to better resources
According to El Pais, Belizón combined publicly available data and digital terrain modeling software to determine what the area would have looked like 3,000 years ago.
As he told The Times, "[Our] objective was to trace the paleo-landscape back 3,000 years in an area that has been very exposed to sea oscillations."
What he found
And thanks to some unusual details in the terrain, he found that even back then, the coast had been totally transformed by people. Or "anthropized," in his words.
It included a sophisticated harbor, moorings, breakwaters, and evidence of a large building in a shallow channel called Caño de Sancti Petri.
Making the connection
According to El Pais, it was hard not to notice the similarities this area had to descriptions of where the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus was situated.
After all, the temple stood near a canal that made it easily accessible to Carthaginian, Roman, and Phoenician ships. But that was hardly the only clue.
A fitting description
Milagros Alzaga from the Center for Underwater Archaeology took part in Belizón's research and noted to El Pais that the coast he was examining sounded similar to the environment around the temple.
In his words, references to the temple while it was active mentioned, "A changing environment, in contact with the sea, subject to the changing tides, in a temple where there must have been port structures and a seafaring environment."
It seems so obvious now
The area Belizón examined is also known as a treasure trove for archaeological relics and has been for over two centuries.
Specifically, the area is known for yielding marble and bronze sculptures of Roman Emperors and a series of Phoenician statuettes. Considering who built the temple, it seemed archaeologists had been getting closer to it for 200 years.
A general area
And the possibility that the temple was in Spain wasn't lost on those archeologists of the past. And while none of them had found it, they believed they had a reasonable estimate as to where it was.
As El Pais reported, the discoveries in the area led them to conclude that the temple was somewhere between the Castle of Sancti Petri (pictured) and a rocky zone known as Boquerón Point.
The turning point
While Belizón was surveying the area with Digital Terrain Model technology — provided by the National Geographic Institute and the Navy Oceanographic Institute — he saw a rectangular structure that measured 984 feet by 492 feet.
Once this structure was examined, Belizón's project was no longer just about mapping an ancient coastline.
A potentially earth-shattering discovery
Although neither Belizón nor the archaeologists at his school nor the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage are ready to say for certain that he discovered the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus, they all agree that Belizón has a promising hypothesis on his hands.
As a University of Seville archaeologist named Francisco José García told El Pais, "We researchers are very reluctant to turn archaeology into a spectacle."
Some real excitement
Yet as Garcias continued, "But in this case, we are faced with some spectacular findings. They are of great significance."
Thanks to its size, location, and the characters of the previous artifacts discovered in the area, the structure that Belizón found fits the description of being a great Phoenician monument.
An inconvenient location
But while Belizón's discovery came essentially by accident, that doesn't mean it will be easy to confirm.
The complications here are partially due to the suspected temple's location at between 10 to 16 feet underwater. The structure has also only been visible — let alone accessible — at low tide.
A closer look
Despite these challenges, researchers were able to investigate the structure and compare its ruins with what Belizón found in the digital models.
And what they found were traces of key ashlars (square-cut stones used in walls) and the remains of ceramic materials that supported the case for this structure as the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus.
A goldmine for future study
While much of the current work in investigating Belizón's findings obviously centers around determining whether the structure really is the "holy grail" temple, the Cádiz coast is shaping up to contain a wealth of archeological finds.
According to El Pais, this area of interest is even larger than the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia (pictured), which are also in southern Spain.
Only scratching the surface
Archeology professor Antonio Sáez Romero — who's participated in Belizón's research — said, "It is larger than the surface of Gades, and its size could change the idea we've had until now of what the bay was like."
One of the points of interest is an unidentified ancient Roman settlement that still carries evidence of various buildings.
A word from a skeptic
Although the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage was impressed enough by Belizón's findings to back his hypothesis, the same cannot be said for another archaeologist named Antonio Monterroso-Checa.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, he described Belizón and his team as making "a triangulation error" with the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus's location.
What was so wrong with it?
As Monterroso-Checa saw it, Belizón's model failed to account for the ways that the area's mountain ranges had changed since the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus stood.
Monterroso-Checa also cited what he described as a lack of new evidence since Belizón first proposed his hypothesis. It's also worth noting that he conducted his own study into the temple's location.
Where he thinks it is
Although Monterroso-Checa's 2020 study on the subject is not available in English, it ultimately argued that the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus was built on what is now called the Martyrs of San Fernando Hill.
And if that doesn't sound like it matches the description, he mentioned that this area used to be an island.
The truth remains to be seen
It remains unclear which proposed location for the temple (if either) is correct, but while Belizón's findings fly in the face of Monterroso-Checa's study, they're not completely iconoclastic.
As El Pais reported, Belizón's findings fit in with some discoveries that were slowly unearthed in the area throughout the 20th century but also clashed with some others.
The investigation continues
As of 2023, Belizón's investigation has been underway for four years, and it seeks to either confirm or disprove the hypothesis that the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus has truly been found.
And the answer to where it really is can only be determined by exhaustive, careful fieldwork on the coast.
It's taking a while for a reason
However, this fieldwork is proving to be even more time-consuming than usual due to the fact the structure spends a significant portion of each year underwater since it's only visible at low tide.
But as Alzaga pointed out, that's not all that's complicating matters. In his words, "These are areas that are difficult to work in and have poor visibility."
A question with a complicated answer
But regardless of whether this structure turns out to be the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus, it's clear that Belizón's modeling efforts revealed more about the Cádiz coast than even he expected.
It's hard not to wonder whether Antonio Ponz had any idea what he would one day inspire when he asked, "Who knows how far the land extended into the sea on the south side and how much of this land must have been sea, particularly in what is now considered marshland?"
Hopeful, but not overconfident
While Belizón's team sees a lot of promise in what he's discovered, they also recognize that it's not impossible that Monterroso-Checa is right.
As Sáez Romero said, "With these kinds of exceptional findings, we can get ahead of ourselves. We want to be very cautious. They are very interesting and hopeful, but it is now that the most exciting part begins."
Even more to explore
And if that's how Sáez Romero feels about it, then he's undoubtedly excited about what else there is to explore on the coast Belizón mapped out.
The harbor area near the possible temple is just waiting to be examined, and even that is only a fraction of the unexplored territory there.
A town with no name
After all, it seems very unlike archaeologists to ignore an ancient settlement comprised mainly of Roman buildings that appear to exist in a gap in recorded history.
Once the underwater structure is either confirmed or disproven as the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus, it's hard not to see that settlement as a tempting next step.
