Occupation horizons found in the search for the ancient Greek city of Helike

Earth Science Applications in the Field of Archaeology: The Helike Example

“…2). We discovered fragments and chips of ceramics in several core samples recovered from near the surface to about 4 m depth suggesting the presence of occupation horizons at this location (Soter and Katsonopoulou 1999). Excavation of trench H58 in 2006 brought to light a group of well constructed tile-covered Roman tombs (3 rd -4 th c. AD) at about 1.3 m below the surface and in the underlying strata, from 2-4 m, fine quality pottery layers dated to the Geometric and Mycenaean times (Fig.…”

The Disappearance of Helike-Classical Greece—New Remote Sensing and Geological Evidence

“…The above presented information regarding the generation mechanism of the coastal slide induced by the 1995 earthquake along with: (i) geological processes, which occurred over the same area after a 6.6 R magnitude earthquake in December 1861 (Schmidt 3,31); (ii) the recent geoarchaeological findings about classical Helike [6,7]; and (iii) the sequence of events, which led to Helike's destruction as taken from historical sources, allow us to postulate the following geological process that caused the catastrophe of Helike:…”

“…Recent archaeological excavations have shown the presence of traces of classical Helike covered by sediments at a depth of between 2.5 and 4 m below surface, and at a distance of between 1.0 and 1.5 km from the present day shoreline [2,6,7], in the location suggested by the abovementioned historians/geographers. The traces are covered by a veneer of lagoonal origin sediments [11,12], which suggests that Helike was covered by water for a long period of time.…”

“…Since the second century A.D., all traces of Helike have vanished. Many recent researchers have tried to unearth Helike and describe in modern scientific terms the geological processes behind the catastrophe [3][4][5][6][7]. In this paper, an attempt is made to shed light on the potential geological processes, which led to the disappearance of Helike from the earth's surface.…”

Sedimentological and Geophysical Observations in the Delta Plain of Selinous River, Ancient Helike, Northern Peloponnesus Greece

“…During the winter of 373 BC, according to historical sources the Helike city was destroyed by a strong earthquake tsunami and rapidly submerged (Katsanopoulou, 2005). The city was the capital of the "Achaean Dodecapolis".…”