In Greece, underwater archaeologists, while conducting research off the coast of Crete, discovered the remains of the ancient city of Olundas, which was submerged by an earthquake in the 2nd century AD, as well as mysterious structures hidden by a thick layer of sand.
The Archeology News Network reports on the discovery with reference to the Greek Ministry of Culture. The large-scale survey started in October last year in Elounda Bay. It was attended by professional archaeologists and volunteer divers.
They searched for the remains of the city of Olundas, which in the Roman period was called Olus. It was an important port of great importance in trade. He is often mentioned in ancient sources. In the II century AD, after the earthquake, most of Olus went under water, and a bay was formed in its place.
Until now, there have been no major excavations in this region. Therefore, the study started with an underwater survey of Elounda Bay and Kolokita Peninsula. Simultaneously, the mapping of structures discovered under water was going on.
Some of the objects were found by remote sensing and photogrammetry methods. For example, this has led to the discovery and mapping of flooded building complexes in Vati and Melissos bays on Kolokita, as well as ancient quarries in three different parts of the peninsula. Also, underwater archaeologists have discovered numerous remains of ancient shipwrecks, including a shipwreck from the Byzantine period.
Interestingly, geophysical radars showed the presence of mysterious large structures lying at a depth of one and a half meters and below the surface of the seabed. It is impossible to visually detect and identify them, since they are hidden by a thick sedimentary layer. But the use of magnetic and electrical tomography confirmed the existence of such structures.
The findings will allow the creation of a 3D image of the ancient city of Olundas and will be used to explore this important harbor of Roman Crete. By the way, more large-scale underwater geoarchaeological research is already planned for the future in this area.
Author: Denis Peredelsky
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