[Cet article a initialement été publié le 13 avril 2024]
The rediscovery of Hélikè, an ancient city engulfed in 373 BC. After an earthquake and a devastating tsunami, marked a significant turning point in archaeological research. Led by Professor Dora Katsonopoulou, president of the Greek archaeological society, the Hélikè project Temolled a thread of history long considered legendary.
Confirmation of Hélikè's location, after centuries of uncertainty, establishes a direct link between myth and historical reality. Efforts have stressed the crucial importance of revisiting classic interpretations in light of new discoveries. This work enriches our understanding of the dynamics between ancient civilizations and natural disasters, offering precious perspectives on resilience and human adaptability in the face of disasters.
Hélikè, the city of Poseidon
Hélikè, formerly flourishing and considered a lighthouse of ancient civilization. His prosperity was partly due to his strategic position, which facilitated trade and cultural interactions with other regions of the Mediterranean. She paid tribute to Poseidon, the powerful God of seas and earthquakes. This veneration was so central to the identity of the city that it struck its currency bearing the effigy of Poseidon. This constitutes a tangible sign of his devotion and his alliance with the divinity.
Beyond its economic role, Hélikè was also a major cultural and political center, taking the lead in the Achaean League, a confederation of twelve cities. Its influence extended far beyond its borders, as evidenced by its ability to establish distant colonies, from Italy to minor Asia, thus exporting its culture, its religious practices and its political organization.
This expansion and this influence bear witness to the power and the strategic importance of Hélikè in antiquity, making it a model of economic, cultural and political success.
Highlight signs and disaster night
Before the tragedy hits Hélikè, nature itself seemed to announce an imminent disaster through mysterious manifestations. Ancient writings describe scenes where the night sky was zebra by strange columns of flames. The behavior of animals testified to unusual agitation. They fled en masse the surroundings of the coast to take refuge in the land.
Then in the cold darkness of a winter night of -373, the fate of Hélikè was sealed by a series of disaster of an unimaginable magnitude. An earthquake of an exceptional force shook the very foundations of the city, shaking its structures and sowing terror among its inhabitants.
He caused soil liquefaction. The latter literally turns into water under your feet. This probably led to a large part of the city from sea level. But the earthquake could also have had a second more devastating effect. The fall of coasts in the sea, on a large scale, potentially caused underwater landslides. The latter engendered a tsunami.
He would have crossed the Gulf of Corinth, ricochausing on the opposite shore and returning to crash on the engulfed plain. He overwhelmed buildings, sanctuaries and homes, and thus erased Hélikè from the map. The magnitude of destruction was such that, as of dawn, only a memory left, buried under the waves.
This tragic night was quickly wrapped in myths and legends, the most persistent of which attributed the destructive anger of Poseidon to the impiety of the inhabitants of Hélikè. In response to these confronts, the God would have released his fury, thus punishing the inhabitants of Hélikè by making their city disappear under the waves.
Hélikè: myths and realities
The quest to find Hélikè was often intertwined with the fascinating legend of Atlantis, this mythical city described by Plato as engulfed by the anger of the gods. For a long time, Hélikè's sudden and dramatic disappearance under the waves has nourished speculation on a possible link between these two lost ancient cities.
The difficulty of locating Hélikè, long overwhelmed in the shadow of history and hidden somewhere or under the Gulf of Corinth, amplified the mystery and the attraction around it, making it appear as a plausible candidate for true Atlantis.
Excavations site. © World Monuments Fund
However, the key difference was in the approach method. A methodical reassessment of historical stories and archaeological evidence finally led to the rediscovery of Hélikè.
She sheds concrete light on her fate. Unlike Atlantis, the existence of which is entirely based on philosophical and mythological stories, Hélikè has been revealed as a tangible reality, a true city whose tragic fate is anchored in history and not in myth.
Hélikè's historical rediscovery
The rediscovery of Hélikè marks a significant step in the field of archeology, thanks to the Helikè project led by Dora Katsonopoulou. They rejected the idea long admitted that Hélikè had been engulfed by the Gulf of Corinth. The project adopted a new perspective, motivated by a reinterpretation of ancient texts. In particular Eratosthene stories mentioned a statue of posedidon visible in a “poros”.
This term can designate a water extent like a lagoon rather than the open sea. The team considered the possibility that the city collapses in an area closer to the shore or in a lagoon. The latter was then filled by sediments over time. In fact, the team oriented their research to land areas adjacent to the Gulf.
The excavations and geophysical studies carried out on earth finally led to the rediscovery of the vestiges of Helikè. The discoveries included architectural structures, artefacts and evidence of the disaster which destroyed Hélikè. They thus offered material validation to the accounts transmitted by the authors of Antiquity. This major advance not only confirms the historical existence of Hélikè, but also enriches the understanding of the dynamics between ancient civilizations and their environment.
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