The Lake of Olympia: Sedimentary evidence of a mid- to late Holocene lake environment in the vicinity of ancient Olympia (western Peloponnese, Greece)

Ancient Olympia, renowned as the site of the Panhellenic Games, was once situated at the shore of a mid-to-late Holocene lake that persisted from the 8th millennium BC until the 6th century AD. This discovery, based on sediment cores and multi-proxy analyses from the Basin of Makrisia and the adjacent Basin of Ladiko, reveals distinct phases of limnic conditions, including freshwater to eutrophic environments. Radiocarbon dating indicates the lake's existence during Olympia's peak cult period, with its disappearance linked to a significant drop in the Alpheios River's water level between the 13th and 14th centuries AD, forming the Olympia Terrace. The study also highlights the lake's impact on river discharge and sediment transport, along with its historical, archaeological, and geomorphological implications.

Slabon, L., Obrocki, L., Bäumler, S., Eder, B., Fischer, P., Gehrke, H.-J., Kolia, E.-I., Lang, F., Pantelidis, G., Pilz, O., Wilken, D., Willershäuser, T., & Vött, A. (2025). The Lake of Olympia: Sedimentary evidence of a mid- to late Holocene lake environment in the vicinity of ancient Olympia (western Peloponnese, Greece). Quaternary Environments and Humans, 3(1), 100060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100060