The canal of Xerxes in northern Greece: fact or fiction? Recent geophysical and geoarchaeological investigations

Herodotus describes how a canal was constructed in northern Greece by King Xerxes in around 480 BC to allow the Persian fleet into the Aegean in advance of its invasion of Greece. If so, this canal must have been a remarkable engineering operation for its time. This paper reports on the results of a non-invasive investigation at the supposed site of the canalon the 2 km wide isthmus of the Mount Athos peninsula. Geophysical. especially seismic survey, topographic survey and analysis of borehole sediments have played complementary roles in demonstrating that Herodotus ' account was very probably correct

A multi-proxy approach for reconstructing environmental dynamics since the mid Holocene in Lake Ismarida (Thrace, N. Greece)

The paleoenvironmental evolution of Lake Ismarida in Thrace (Northern Greece) is revealed by the combined lithological, micropaleontological (benthic foraminifera, pollen and NPPS), molluscan analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurement and radiocarbon dating of a 5.8-m long sediment core. The mid Holocene evolution of the lake area is evidenced by the documentation of four sedimentary Units in the core ISMR-2, corresponding to four distinct evolutionary stages: (1) during ∼5500-3500 cal yr BP the lake area was a shallow marine environment characterized by an Ammonia beccarii, small rotaliids, miliolids, Bittium reticulatum and Veneridae spp. assemblage, marine dinoflagellate cysts, and low magnetic susceptibility values; (2) during ∼3500-3000 cal BP the environment is gradually tending to more isolated conditions forming an open lagoon, characterized by marine and euryhaline fauna and low magnetic susceptibility values; (3) during 3000 cal yr BP, the open lagoon presented a transition to an oligohaline inner lagoon, characterized by an Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica, Aubignyna perlucida, Pirenella conica, Cerastoderma glaucum and Abra spp. assemblage, sedges and aquatic vegetation. This restricted, entirely isolated from the sea inner lagoon could be definitely used as the landmark of the Lake Ismaris from Heorodotus, while describing the march of Xerxes through Thrace in 480 B.C.; (4) since ∼2000 cal yr BP to the present, the Lake Ismarida is formed, characterized by fresh-water indicators and aquatic pollen, Pseudoschizaea and high magnetic susceptibility values. Finally, the progradation of the Filiouris River deltaic deposits resulted to a 4 km wide deltaic plain between Lake Ismarida and the nowadays coastline. Pollen assemblages record the dominance of a rather rich deciduous forest in the area with traces of human presence in the lower part of the sequence, whereas the opening of the plant landscape under the increasing human pressure is evidenced after ∼ 3000 cal yr BP. Finally, an open vegetation pattern, contemporaneous with the retreat of forest vegetation, is evidenced in the area already before 2000 cal yr BP. © 2020 Elsevier Masson SA

Benthic foraminiferal evidence and paleoenvironmental evolution of Holocene coastal plains in the Aegean Sea (Greece)

Benthic foraminiferal composition of sedimentary successions during the last 7500 years, was investigated from boreholes drilled in three rather tectonically stable coastal areas of the Aegean Sea (Alykes Kitros, Lafrouda Thrace and Vravron Attica). The quantitative analysis of foraminiferal fauna enabled separation into two different groups that are supported by the analysis of modern benthic foraminiferal communities in the studied sites. Group A consists of Ammonia tepida and Haynesina germanica (closed lagoon assemblage), whereas the most common species of Group B (open lagoon assemblage) are Aubignyna perlucida, miliolids, Elphidium spp. and Ammonia spp. The foraminiferal composition integrated with radiometric dating provides information on Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in the studied coastal plains, related to sea-land interaction. Alykes Kitros and Lafrouda Thrace boreholes show a similar trend, with an open lagoonal fauna in the lower part, transitional upwards to closed lagoonal conditions. This environmental change has taken place after 6500 cal BP in Alykes Kitros and around 3000 cal BP at Lafrouda Thrace. The benthic communities of Vravron Attica borehole sediments seem to represent continuously an open lagoon/shallow marine environment from 4700 to 400 cal BP. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

Yria (western Naxos island, Greece): Sea level changes in upper holocene and palaeogeographical reconstruction

The Saint Georgios coastal zone, located at the W coast of Naxos, the largest island of the Central Aegean Sea, was investigated in order to determine the palaeo-geography, sea level changes and their effect to the palaeo-environment of western Naxos island and to human activity. Detailed geomorphological mapping, study of micropaleontological and sedimentological characteristics and dating analyses of the Late Holocene of St. Georgios coastal zone were conducted. To obtain information about the Holocene stratigraphy under the recent alluvial cover, three boreholes followed the detailed geomorphological mapping. Microfaunal analysis took place and five samples of plants, shells, peat and charred material were also collected from several layers of the sedimentary sequence and were dated using AMS and conventional radiocarbon techniques providing temporal control of the sediments. The sea-land interactions during Upper Holocene, in relation to the eustatic sea level oscillations, as well as the géomorphologie observations and analysis on deposited sediments, aims to reveal the palaeo-geographic evolution of the landscape and its impact on the archaeological sites. Sea level rise along with sea-land interactions to the landscape evolution and the transgression of sea in 6144 BP have been verified. © 2010 Lavoisier SAS. All rights reserved

Holocene palaeogeographical reconstruction of the western part of Naxos island (Greece)

Naxos Island is situated in the Cycladic plateau (middle Aegean Sea) and consists of concaved beach zones separated by small headlands. This study investigates the diachronic palaeo-shoreline shift due to the sea level change and its effect to the palaeo-environmental evolution of the western coastal part of Naxos Island during the Late Holocene. For this purpose, six boreholes were drilled and dated using radiocarbon techniques. The associated geomorphological, sedimentological and paleontological investigation concluded that during Late Holocene, the embayments of Naxos western coastal part were frequently exposed, and their communication with the sea was not perennial. The coastal area was wider with many active lagoons and embayment changing from shallow marine environment to coastal environment frequently alternating to brackish mesohaline one. The former sea-level position in western Naxos island should be between -1.5 m and -2 m during the last 2000 years, which may partly reflect eustatic processes and partly a gradual or coseismic land subsidence. © 2011

Forthcoming investigations at Xerxes canal 1999-2001

No abstract available