Palaeoenvironmental evolution of the ancient harbor of Lechaion (Corinth Gulf, Greece): Were changes driven by human impacts and gradual coastal processes or catastrophic tsunamis?

Kolaiti, Eleni; Papadopoulos, Gerassimos A.; Morhange, Christophe; Vacchi, Matteo; Triantafyllou, Ioanna; Mourtzas, Nikos

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2017.08.004

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Through ancient times, societal dynamics along the coastal zone of the Gulf of Corinth were intense and the wider area is known to have been an important trading center with extended human activity. This is indicated by archaeological findings and the ruins of ancient harbors, combined with the paleoenvironmental studies conducted, for example, at the cities of Corinth (Lechaio harbor), Heliki, Aliki, and so on (Hadler et al, 2013; Kolaiti et al, 2017; Kontopoulos and Avramidis, 2003). In such coastal environments, the submerged harbors and settlements have proven to be useful archives in paleoenvironmental reconstruction (Marriner and Morhange, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Late-Holocene coastal depositional environments and climate changes in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

et al. 2019

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Multidisciplinary studies in coastal systems of the eastern Mediterranean region have proven to be excellent tools in understanding paleoenvironmental, paleoecological, and paleoclimatic changes that took place during the Holocene period, and how these changes interacted with urban development and growth. This paper presents sedimentological, high-resolution x-ray fluorescence (XRF scanning), micropaleontological, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) data from three shallow sediment cores that were retrieved from Aliki (ancient Siphai or Tipha) salt pond. The study area is located in a unique, highly tectonic geographical region, at the northeast part of the Gulf of Corinth in Greece. Beachrock deposits that form a barrier between the salt pond and the marine environment seem to play an important role in the evolution of the area. The chronological framework was set at around 3100 cal. BP by four 14C radiocarbon dates, and the evolutionary model that was established indicates four different changes taking place during this period at the study area. From around 3100 to 1600 cal. BP, a transition from a closed to an open lagoonal environment was identified, interrupted by a fluvial terrestrial deposit at around 2500 cal. BP. A shift toward a closed lagoonal system at around 1600 cal. BP and the establishment of a salt pond environment seem to correlate with tectonic activity. The study provides important information about the evolution of coastal landscape in such a tectonic active region and points the interaction between regional human activity and climatic changes during the late-Holocene period.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Late-Holocene coastal depositional environments and climate changes in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

et al. 2019

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“…Therefore, changes observed in RSL are dominated by vertical land movements because of glacio- and hydro-isostatic adjustment (GIA). In tectonically active areas, the GIA related land-level changes can be accentuated or counterbalanced by ground movements (e.g., Anzidei et al, 2014; Vacchi et al, 2014; Kolaiti et al, 2017)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Millennial variability of rates of sea-level rise in the ancient harbour of Naples (Italy, western Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2019

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We reconstructed the late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) evolution of the ancient harbour of Naples, one of the largest coastal conurbations in the Mediterranean. We carried out multiproxy investigations, coupling archaeological evidence with biological indicators. Our data robustly constrain 2000 yr of non-monotonic changes in sea level, chiefly controlled by the complex volcano-tectonic processes that characterize the area. Between ~200 BC and AD ~0, a subsidence rate of more than ~1.5 mm/yr enhanced the postglacial RSL rise, while negligible or moderate land uplift < ~0.5 mm/yr triggered a RSL stabilization during the Roman period (first five centuries AD). This stabilization was followed by a post-Roman enhancement of the sea-level rise when ground motion was negative, attested by a subsidence rate of ~0.5 to ~1 mm/yr. Our analysis seems to indicate very minor impacts of this nonmonotonic RSL evolution on the activities of the ancient harbour of Naples, which peaked from the third century BC to the second century AD. After this period, the progressive silting of the harbour basin made it impossible to safely navigate within the basin, leading to the progressive decline of the harbour.

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“…Importantly, the dredging mounds contain coarser sands and gravels than would normally be expected for dredged sediments, suggesting that in-filling in the Inner Harbour was not governed by fine-sediment siltation. There is significant debate concerning how coastal gravels and sands were deposited on the site, with researchers supporting either tsunamis (Vött et al 2018) or more gradual coastal processes (Kolaiti et al 2017).…”

Section: = -Coastal Sediment Output + Wave Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Basilica of Leonidas, built circa 520 CE, appears to have been damaged shortly after its construction and portions of it buried under coarse sands and gravels. Kolaiti and colleagues suggest that this burial could not have been from a tsunami, as a 7th-century CE coin was found in a fill within a building of the cathedral (Kolaiti et al 2017), however, this single find tells us little about the nature of the fill or the use history of the building (Vött 2018).…”

Section: = -Coastal Sediment Output + Wave Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

Roman Ports in the Mediterranean: Geomorphology, Environment and Resilience

Brown,

Walsh,

Fallu

2024

Preprint

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Classical ports in the Mediterranean Sea existed not only in a social, economic and technical contexts but also in a geomorphological context. This geomorphological context, which includes both the harbour landform and the catchment (if any) is a function of the geomorphology of coasts and catchments (including neotectonics) and marine factors (bathymetry, low amplitude tides, surges, tsunamis etc.). A simple geomorphological analysis of the major Roman 50 ports of the Mediterranean shows that they are dominated by river mouth (42%) and lagoonal/deltaic settings (16%) but also included rocky bays/promontories and totally artificial basins (14%). All types of Roman ports had siltation problems, as nearly all ports do, but this is even more pronounced for river-mouth ports all of which suffered, partly due to low tidal amplitudes and supressed estuarine energy regimes. Many adaptations can be illustrated including construction materials, mole design, dredging, and not infrequently, changing port location. The resilience of river-mouth ports was closely connected to river catchment dynamics of erosion and sediment transport as well as socio-political factors. The generally short, and relatively steep gradients, of most rivers entering the Mediterranean (with obvious exceptions) limited the storage space for fine sediment, and resulted in high rates of estuarine and deltaic plain sedimentation. A recent analysis of pan-Mediterranean erosion by Walsh et al. (2019) has shown that although erosion/sedimentation rates varied catchment to catchment, there was a general increase over the early Roman Period followed by a decline, and then an increase again in the Medieval Period, although some regions, e.g. S France are out of phase with this pattern. Optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments in the Tiber catchment shows a pulse of sediment deposition in the late Roman-early Post Roman period and again later in the Renaissance (c. 1500-1700 AD) caused by a combination of intensive cultivation and climate, including the Little Ice Age. This paper concludes that the history of Roman ports cannot be de-coupled from their sediment-catchments, either coastal cells and/or fluvial catchments, as both placed heavy burdens on the sustainability of ports but to different degrees. Along with technological change and the geopolitics of trade these geomorphic factors played a role in the spatially differential resilience of Mediterranean ports during and after the Roman period.

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Palaeoenvironmental evolution of the ancient harbor of Lechaion (Corinth Gulf, Greece): Were changes driven by human impacts and gradual coastal processes or catastrophic tsunamis?

Cited by 14 publications

References 56 publications

Late-Holocene coastal depositional environments and climate changes in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

Late-Holocene coastal depositional environments and climate changes in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

Millennial variability of rates of sea-level rise in the ancient harbour of Naples (Italy, western Mediterranean Sea)

Roman Ports in the Mediterranean: Geomorphology, Environment and Resilience

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