Emperor Caligula, one of the most controversial rulers of ancient Rome, led a rogue regime rife with murder, sex and spending money. Lake Nemi, about 20 miles south of Rome, was the anchor point for his “pleasure barges” — three huge, luxurious ships on which all of the aforementioned activities occurred.

This spring, the prospect of ancient Roman treasure lured divers to begin scouring the bottom of the lake using modern technology and sonar, hoping to recover the mystical sites of orgies and executions alike.

Two of the ships were discovered in 1927 after dictator Benito Mussolini ordered the 100-foot-deep lake to be partially drained. They were resurrected at the time, and what was found on board proved even more extravagant than centuries of rumors let on.

Unfortunately, these ships were destroyed in a fire during World War II, but the third ship — supposedly the biggest of the three at about 400 feet long — is said to be submerged at the deepest part of the lake, exciting divers and historians almost 2,000 years after the famed emperor’s reign.

“If it’s down there, and it’s that long, then we are talking about the world’s first luxury cruise ship,” Nemi mayor Alberto Bertucci told the Times of London. “Every emperor had a villa — but Caligula demanded floating villas complete with columns, hot water, gold and mosaics.”