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Pavlopetri

This a little-known, but fascinating place in Greece.

The city of Pavlopetri (Greek: Παυλοπέτρι), underwater off the coast of southern Laconia in Peloponnese, Greece, is about 5,000 years old, making it one of the oldest submerged lost cities, as well as the oldest in the Mediterranean sea.

Pavlopetri is unique in having an almost complete town plan, including streets, buildings, and tombs.  Originally, the ruins were dated to the Mycenaean period, 1600–1100 BC but later studies showed an older occupation date starting no later than 2800 BC, so it also includes early Bronze Age middle Minoan and transitional material.

It is now believed that the town was submerged around 1000 BC by the first of three earthquakes that the area suffered.

The area never re-emerged, so it was neither built-over nor disrupted by agriculture. Although eroded over the centuries, the town layout is as it was thousands of years ago. The site is under threat of damage by boats dragging anchors, as well as by tourists and souvenir hunters.

Pavlopetri is a UNESCO site and not open for recreational diving. But you can snorkel above the 5,000 year old city and explore land-based ruins nearby. 

Read more courtesy of wikiopedia.org

And have a look at our comprehensive travel guide to Greece.

What Pavlopetri might have looked like. Image courtesy of National Geographic.
There are so many things to see and do in beautiful Greece