Pavlopetri: The Oldest Underwater City Ever Discovered

Discovered successful 1967 by Nicholas Flemming, this ancient Greek municipality is present the oldest underwater “lost city”. Credit: Screenshot /YouTube/cf-apps7865

Pavlopetri (or “Paulopetri”) is simply a tiny islet successful Peloponnese, Greece, wherever past past meets the endless bluish of the Mediterranean Sea. This beauteous place, which remains astir wholly chartless to the bulk of people, hides 1 of the astir astonishing stories successful Greek past since it is the oldest ancient Greek metropolis that has ever been discovered underwater.

Its name, which translates to “Paul’s Stone,” is straight related to St. Peter and St. Paul, the 2 top Christian apostles and martyrs, who traveled acold and wide spreading Christianity during the archetypal period AD.

The city’s agelong history, however, stretches astir 5 1000 years backmost into antiquity since the broader portion was known to person been inhabited during the earliest years of Greek history.

Discovered successful 1967 by Nicholas Flemming, this past Greek municipality is present the oldest underwater “lost city” anyplace connected the globe.

Flemming was utilizing aerial photography to survey the coastline erstwhile helium noticed a bid of antithetic lines connected the seabed. These lines turned retired to beryllium the remains of Pavlopetri’s streets and buildings.

The twelvemonth aft Pavlopetri’s discovery, successful 1968, archaeologists from the University of Cambridge successful the UK visited this bonzer spot to representation the full determination and find the grade of the past mislaid city.

At first, scientists believed their find was primitively of a Mycenaean-era city, but aboriginal probe revealed it was overmuch older.

Ancient Greek underwater metropolis Pavlopetri

More specifically, scientists were capable to find that the past Greek underwater metropolis of Pavlopetri was initially inhabited successful 2800 BC aft elements dating backmost to the Bronze Age were recovered and identified.

Perhaps the astir unsocial diagnostic of this country is that up until now, its wide layout has remained intact, making it a determination of bonzer value to archaeologists.

Researchers judge the metropolis was submerged aft a bid of 3 cataclysmic earthquakes occurred successful the country astir 1000 BC.

These convulsive seismic events, which led to the metropolis ne'er being capable to re-emerge from the bottommost of the sea, played a important relation successful maintaining its archetypal characteristics.

Untouched by quality intervention, its secrets have remained chartless for thousands of years.

UNESCO says that Pavlopetri dates backmost to much than 5 1000 years agone and represents 1 of the archetypal “planned” cities—with residential neighborhoods, administrative buildings, factories for the accumulation of pottery, markets, and truthful on. It was listed connected the 2016 World Monuments Watch.

The metropolis is laid retired successful a grid pattern. The buildings are made of chromatic and mudbrick, and immoderate person up to 12 rooms.

Thousands of pottery fragments person been recovered astatine Pavlopetri, providing grounds of the city’s commercialized and trade industries. The pottery includes some section and imported wares. Bronze and robust artifacts person besides been found, indicating that the metropolis had a skilled metalworking industry. The artifacts see tools, weapons, and jewelry.

The submerged remains screen an country of much than 5 100 1000 quadrate feet.

The immense bulk of the artifacts recovered astatine Pavlopetri are inactive underwater. Archaeologists are moving to make caller techniques for excavating and conserving the artifacts without damaging the site.

Some of the artifacts that person been recovered from Pavlopetri are connected show astatine the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion successful Greece. These artifacts see pottery, jewelry, and metallic objects. The depository besides has a standard exemplary of the submerged city, which gives visitors a glimpse of what Pavlopetri whitethorn person looked similar successful its heyday.

Pavlopetri mightiness adjacent person inspired the communicative of Atlantis

Pavlopetri was an progressive and prosperous port city. Further excavations volition supply caller accusation astir past maritime commercialized routes, commerce, religion, government, and regular life.

With cautious management, the tract has imaginable arsenic a tourer attraction with an on-shore museum, guided snorkeling tours, and visits via glass-bottom boats. In 2011, BBC featured Pavlopetri successful the documentary City Beneath the Waves, which included 3D visualizations of the metropolis representation and its structures.

This Bronze Age city mightiness adjacent person inspired 1 of the world’s astir enduring myths—the communicative of Atlantis.

UNESCO warns, however, that Pavlopetri is threatened by pollution, harm caused by ships anchoring, looting, and pillaging, arsenic good arsenic infrastructure operation projects specified arsenic pipelines and powerfulness plants.