Olympia’s Harbour Site Pheia (Elis, Western Peloponnese, Greece) Destroyed by Tsunami Impact

Research at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Olympia, Greece, reveals that its harbour site Pheia was destroyed by tsunami impacts, likely in the 6th century AD. The study identified three distinct tsunami events—dating to the 6th millennium BC, around 4300 ± 200 cal BC, and the Byzantine to post-Byzantine period—using sedimentological, geoarchaeological, and geochemical analyses of marine deposits found far inland. These deposits, some cemented into beachrock, suggest tsunamis reached up to 18–20 meters above current sea level due to wave refraction and channeling effects, such as the Katakolo Pass. The findings highlight the significant tsunami risk posed by the seismically active Hellenic Arc, where tectonic plate subduction generates destructive waves along the Greek coast.

Vött, A., Bareth, G., Brückner, H., Lang, F., Sakellariou, D., Hadler, H., Ntageretzis, K., & Willershäuser, T. (2011). Olympia’s Harbour Site Pheia (Elis, Western Peloponnese, Greece) Destroyed by Tsunami Impact. DIE ERDE – Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin, 142(3), 259–288. https://doi.org/10.12854/ERDE-142-36