An overview of geophysical investigations at archaeological sites in Helike, Greece

Abstract

Helike is an area on the south-central coast of the Gulf of Corinth. This name is derived from the lost Classical Greek city of Helike that vanished during an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 373 BC. It was original believed that the remains of Helike were located offshore in the Gulf of Corinth; however, early searches of this area proved fruitless. More recently, boreholes developed in the coastal plain revealed marine sediments that date to the Classical Greek period suggesting that, as a result of uplift and/or sedimentation, Helike now lies onshore. This find stimulated a sequence of ongoing geophysical investigations and excavations that have revealed buried architecture and artifacts from three periods; Early Bronze Age, Classical Greek, and Roman.