The operation of ancient reclamation works at Lake Copais in Greece

Abstract

Water has played a vital role in life in Greece during its long history. Ancient Greek societies were very active in the field of water management, resulting in an impressive variety of hydraulic works. The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the operation of one of the most ancient and extended hydraulic works, the drainage project of Lake Copais in Central Greece. The project was developed and operated by the Minyans, a powerful Mycenaean group. The Minyans partially diverted two large rivers which fed the lake. The water was conveyed towards labyrinthine natural sinkholes, which were formed in limestone terrain. Through the sinkholes, water slowly discharged to the sea. This impressive ancient water management system has gained the attention of many scientists and has been extensively studied by archaeologists and engineers. Still, important questions remain about the way the hydro-system worked. Trying to provide some reliable answers, we have studied the Minyans’ interventions from a hydraulic engineering perspective. Available archeological, hydrological and geological data of the area were used to evaluate the operation of the system. The main elements of the hydro-system are presented and their purposes examined. For this, (i) a water balance model was developed and (ii) the hydro-system was simulated using synthetic time series of the hydrological processes. Several operational cases were examined in order to define critical parameters of the system, such as water level variation and water accumulation in the sinkholes. The analysis reveals some significant factors, which could be related to archaeological findings and the hydro-system’s performance.