Paulopetri is approximately 5000 years old and one of the oldest inhabited cities (oldest in Mediterranean sea). It is located in Peloponnese, Greece, on the southern shore of Laconia.
The name Paulopetri (“Paul’s and Peter’s”, or “Paul’s stone”) is the nodern name for the islet and beach, apparently named for the two Christian saints that are celebrated together; the ancient name or names are unknown.
Palopetri was discovered in 1967 by Nicholas Flemming and mapped in 1968 by a team of archaeologists from Cambridge. It is located between the Palopetri islet and the Pounta coast.
The coast, archaeological site, islet, and surrounding sea area are all located within the Elafonisos Municipality, on the old “Onou Gnathos” peninsula (according to Pausanias).
It is unique in that it has an almost complete town plan, complete with streets, buildings, and tombs.
The ruins were originally dated to the Mycenaean period, 1600-1100 BC, but subsequent studies revealed an older occupation date of no later than 2800 BC, so it also includes early Bronze Age, middle Minoan, and transitional material.
The town was believed to have been submerged around 1000 BC by the first of three earthquakes that struck the area. Because the area never re-emerged, it was not built over or disrupted by agriculture.
The town layout has not changed over the centuries, despite being eroded. Boats dragging anchors, as well as tourists and souvenir hunters, pose a threat to the site.
The primary goal of the 2009 fieldwork was to map the site. It is the first three-dimensional digital survey of a submerged town.
Recent work has benefited from sonar mapping techniques developed by military and oil prospecting organizations.
At least 15 buildings are submerged in 3 to 4 meters (9.8-13.1 ft) of water in the city. Only the most recent discoveries in 2009 cover 9,000 m2 (2.2 acres).
Four more fieldwork sessions are planned for October 2009, also in collaboration with the Greek government as a joint project. During those sessions, excavations will take place.
A team from the ustralian Centre for Field Rootics is also working alongside the archaeologists (from the University of Nottingham) to bring underwater archaeology into the twenty-first century.
They have created several distinct roots to survey the site in a variety of ways.
One of the survey’s findings was that the town was the epicenter of a thriving textile industry (from the many loom weights found in the site). Many large pitharis pots (from Crete) were also discovered, indicating a major trading port.
The archaeological team’s work was documented in an hour-long bbC documentary video, “City beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri,” which aired on bbC Two in 2011.
Pavlopetri is part of the underwater cultural heritage, as defined by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage protects all traces of human existence underwater that are one hundred years old or older.
The purpose of this convention is to prevent the destruction or loss of historic and cultural information, as well as looting. It provides an international legal framework to assist states parties in protecting their underwater cultural heritage.
