[Archport] Race in Greece to preserve the world's oldest submerged town

[Alexandre Monteiro <no.arame@gmail.com>]

Race to preserve the world's oldest submerged town

PhysOrg, May 11th, 2009

The oldest submerged town in the world is about to give up its secrets
— with the help of equipment that could revolutionise underwater
archaeology.

The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water
just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from
at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets,
chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to
belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase
of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek
literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes.

Underwater archaeologist Dr Jon Henderson, from The University of
Nottingham, will be the first archaeologist to have official access to
the site in 40 years. Despite its potential international importance
no work has been carried out at the site since it was first mapped in
1968 and Dr Henderson has had to get special permission from the Greek
government to examine the submerged town.

Although Mycenaean power was largely based on their control of the
sea, little is known about the workings of the harbour towns of the
period as archaeology to date has focused on the better known inland
palaces and citadels. Pavlopetri was presumably once a thriving
harbour town where the inhabitants conducted local and long distance
trade throughout the Mediterranean — its sandy and well-protected bay
would have been ideal for beaching Bronze Age ships. As such the site
offers major new insights into the workings of Mycenaean society.

The aim of Dr Henderson's project is to discover the history and
development of Pavlopetri, find out when it was occupied, what it was
used for and through a systematic study of the geomorphology of the
area establish why the town disappeared under the sea.

Dr Henderson, from the Underwater Archaeology Research Centre (UARC)
in the Department of Archaeology, said: “This site is of rare
international archaeological importance. It is imperative that the
fragile remains of this town are accurately recorded and preserved
before they are lost forever. A fundamental aim of the project is to
raise awareness of the importance of the site and ensure that it is
ethically managed and presented to the public in a way which is
sustainable and of benefit to both the development of tourism and the
local community.”

The submerged buildings, courtyards, streets, tombs and graves, lie
just off a sandy stretch of beach close to an area popular with
holiday makers and campers. Under threat from tourism and industry the
remains are being damaged by boats dragging their anchors, inquisitive
snorkelers on the hunt for souvenirs and the growth of marine
organisms which are also taking their toll degrading the fragile 3,500
year old walls.

The survey, in collaboration with Mr Elias Spondylis of the Ephorate
of Underwater Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, will be
carried out using equipment originally developed for the military and
offshore oilfield market but looks set to transform underwater
archaeological survey and recording.

Dr Henderson and his team will carry out a detailed millimeter
accurate digital underwater survey of the site using an acoustic
scanner developed by a major North American offshore engineering
company. The equipment can produce photo-realistic, three dimensional
digital surveys of seabed features and underwater structures to
sub-millimetre accuracy in a matter of minutes.

Dr Henderson said: “The ability to survey submerged structures, from
shipwrecks to sunken cities, quickly, accurately and more importantly,
cost effectively, is a major obstacle to the future development of
underwater archaeology. I believe we now have a technique which
effectively solves this problem.”

Joining the team will be Dr Nicholas Flemming who discovered the site
in 1967. The following year he led a team from the University of
Cambridge who surveyed the area with hand tapes. The archaeological
material — pottery, figurines, obsidian and small finds — they
collected belong to the Early Helladic, Middle Helladic and Late
Helladic period (c. 2800-1180 BC). A systematic assessment of the
finds recovered at the time is currently being undertaken by Dr
Chrysanthi Gallou at The University of Nottingham.

The project has received funding from the Institute of Aegean
Prehistory (INSTAP), The University of Nottingham and the British
School of Archaeology at Athens but it is still £10,000 short of the
amount needed to carry out the main archaeological survey.

Four annual fieldwork seasons are planned. This May and June the team
will carry out a full underwater survey. Between 2010 and 2012 there
will be three seasons of underwater excavations. After a study season
in 2013 the findings of Dr Henderson's research will be published in
2014.

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