Pavlopetri is the oldest underwater city in the world: archeologists have determined that Pavlopetri dates from Minoan times, over 5000 years ago. It is a unique treasure. Pavlopetri is important not only to the Greek people, but it is part of the cultural heritage of the entire world. All those who care about Pavlopetri have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to make sure that Pavlopetri is not damaged, or destroyed. We also hope to promote the continuing archeological excavation of the site and eventually to see the site developed with a visitor center and opportunities for visitors to learn from the site and view the site – without damaging it.
Pavlopetri is suffering from the looting of artifacts, the shifting of sands and sediments, and the pollution of Vatika Bay, primarily caused by large commercial ships that anchor illegally in the Bay. The large ships pollute the clean waters of the Bay by discharging waste and ballast water and engaging in harmful practices such as hull cleaning. Greek authorities turn a blind eye to the pollution caused by the ships. The Greek authorities must become motivated to preserve and protect Pavlopetri, instead of allowing it to be destroyed.
Local citizens of Neapolis and Elafonisos Island expressed their concern about the damage being caused to Pavlopetri by the large ships in Vatika Bay. In August 2014, hundreds of local people gathered on the beach and in the water to form a Human Chain to symbolically protect the archeological site.
The Museum of Archeology in Neapolis opened in the summer of 2017. A small display of artifacts from Pavlopetri is exhibited there. The Museum takes visitors through archeological sites along the nearby coastline and visitors may view an excellent[...]
Pavlopetri is located just off the coastline of Vatika Bay in the southeastern Peloponnese, near the island of Elafonisos. Vatika Bay is bordered to the north by Neapolis, in the prefect of Monemvasia, and to the south by[...]
This schematic of the layout of Pavlopetri was prepared by Spiridon Ion Cepleana on September 13, 2013 and appears on Wikipedia’s Creative Commons. Pavlopetri is now submerged under about two meters of water. [...]
From a single, broken piece of pottery, scientists can use advanced computer modeling techniques to determine the size and shape of the original vessel. Looting of artifacts from the site at Pavlopetri is a serious problem. All shards[...]
Archeologists collected many artifacts from Pavlopetri during their mapping expedition of 2009. Even the smallest piece of pottery can give scientists important information about the city and the lives of the people who lived there. Snorkel diver with[...]
The archeological studies that have been done at Pavlopetri have employed today’s most advanced mapping and modeling techniques. Based on the size and shape of foundation stones, scientists can determine how big buildings were. A broad wall on[...]
Based on the information obtained from building foundations, modeling techniques allow scientists to recreate models of buildings as they might have appeared over 5,000 years ago. What an impressive sight Pavlopetri must have been! A cist box grave[...]
Story of Pavlopetri
Pavlopetri Eco-Marine Film Festival
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