Ελίκη και Βούρα : ο μύθος και οι διαστάσεις της φυσικής καταστροφής
Part of : Αρχαιολογικά ανάλεκτα εξ Αθηνών ; Vol.XXIX-XXXI, No.1, 1996, pages 175-188
Issue:
Pages:
175-188
Parallel Title:
Heure and Voura : the myth and the true extent of the destruction
Section Title:
Σύμμεικτα
Author:
Abstract:
The 4th century BC historians seem to have ignored the destruction of Helike, and regarded it as a natural effect. In the following centuries, however, this destruction became a legend similar to other legends of the punishment and destruction of «sinful» towns. As a legend, the destruction of Helike is characterized by mythical elements. For instance, a copper statue of Poseidon could stay erect in the water for centuries after the loss of the town and destroy fishermen’s nets (as reported in ancient texts) only because it was myth and myths do not obey physical laws and reason: In the grounds of archaeology, the style of such a statue corresponds to a much later period and could not have been the centre of Poseidon’s cult for centuries before the destruction of the town, nor could it have been commissioned by Ionian representatives before the calamity; in the grounds of engineering and seismology such a statue would have been one of the first constructions to have been toppled by an earthquake, a tsunami or simply the waves. The inherent contradiction involved in an event of extreme intensity but confined to a very limited area (i.e. affecting only Helike and Voura, but not the nearby Aigion) is also a proof of the mythical character of this legend. Yet, this legend contains a nucleus of historical truth, the dimensions of which must be determined in order to identify the precise location of the ancient town. An important contribution in this perspective is that of N. Faraklas who argued that the legend of the destruction of Helike reflects its political destruction by the rival town of Aigion, probably after it was weakened by a natural disaster. Our suggestion is that any effort at the identification of the ruins of Helike requires a study in three directions. The first direction requires the prediction of the basic characteristics of the ancient town, both as far its topography and style as well as the type of its buildings are concerned, on archaeological and historical grounds. This is necessary in order to know what remains we expect to identify, and model the natural event(s) that may have been responsible for this destruction. For instance, if we accept that the town was submerged for at least some decades and the houses of the ancient town were made of mudbrick, as was the case with 19th and even 20th century houses, their remains would have been obliterated (dissolved) and there is no chance of uncovering the remains of an ancient town in an exceptional state of preservation. Furthermore, the ancient towns of this period consisted of a number of small villages around administrative, military, commercial, etc. centres (the case of Athens consisting of 10 tribes and 100 communities, «de- moi», is a characteristic example). This result puts some constraints on the extent of the affected area. Consequently, it is not enough to demonstrate that certain natural events like those described by ancient authors (earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) can be or have been observed in the area. It has to be demonstrated that such events can or could have produced a destruction on the scale or magnitude required to justify the description in the ancient sources. Thus, the second direc of the order of magnitude and the character of the possible natural disaster that is assumed to have affected the area, and the examination of its possible causes. Finally, the third direction should be the effort to determine the palaeogeography of the area during the critical period (373 BC) based on geological methods. An examination of all possible causes of destruction, i.e. earthquakes, tsunamis, seismic faults, local ground instability (landslides, slumps, compaction of loose sediments, etc.) indicates that all these effects should definetely be excluded as possible causes of a dramatic disappearence of Eliki and Voura, and such scenarios should be rejected as possible historical causes of a huge destruction. We can, on the contrary, admit that a smaller scale seismic destruction, like those frequently occuring in the area, marked the beginning of a period of decline of Helike, and gave the opportunity to rival towns, mainly Aigion, to make it disappear as a political entity. The catalysing historical role of earthquakes or other natural events has been noticed in other cases as well. The history of ancient Sparta, for instance, could have been changed dramatically after the 464 BC earthquake which triggered the revolt of slaves and oppressed people. Interestingly, Sparta was characterized as a sinful town, and had this revolt been successful and marked its political end, a legend somewhat similar to that of Helike, mixing natural effects and punishment from God would certainly be found in many later historical sources. Concerning the reconstruction of the landscape of the area, detailed studies of the relative sea-level change have shown an anticline-type uplift of the north Peloponnese coast. The maximum of this uplift is expected in the vicinity of ancient Aigeira. Since an uplift of 4 m in less than 2,000 years was recorded at Mavra Litharia, the harbour of ancient Aigeira, the shoreline of 373 BC at Helike should normally be found at the level of a few metres above the water. If we assume that the topography gradient in the wider Helike area was similar to the present day, the ruins of the ancient town, which was assumed to be 2 km from the coast, should probably be found at a height of the order of 10-20 m, exactly where most traditional villages in the last centuries were located. If we reject the possibility of a local catastrophe of unusual intensity, we have to search for the remains of an ancient town similar to numerous others which have been affected by earthquakes and invasions, but never became a legend. The remains of such towns cannot be found in the water, in unstable slopes or recent deltas. They can only be found in areas where conditions were favourable for the installation of long-lived towns. The areas around the modem villages in the area, prior to its recent touristic development, are among the most prominent locations to search for Helike.
Subject (LC):
Keywords:
γεωλογία, Αχαΐα
Notes:
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