Few things spark the imagination like a lost city. From the legend of Atlantis to real-life ruins hidden beneath the earth or swallowed by the sea, the idea of once-thriving civilizations vanishing – only to be rediscovered centuries later – continues to captivate us. While Atlantis remains a myth, Greece is home to real lost cities, their remains buried by earthquakes, submerged by rising waters, or simply forgotten by time.

Thanks to archaeology, these cities are re-emerging, offering extraordinary insights into the ancient Greek world. Some played pivotal roles in wars that shaped history, while others thrived as cultural and economic hubs before vanishing from the record. Each rediscovery brings us closer to understanding the lives of those who once walked their streets. Here we explore five such cities – places of power, tragedy, and mystery – each with its own tale of disappearance and rediscovery.

Helike: The Wrath of Poseidon

Once a powerful city-state in northern Peloponnese, near the Gulf of Corinth, Helike was a cultural, economic, and religious center of ancient Greece. As the one-time leader of the Achaean League, it wielded influence over neighboring cities and even established overseas colonies such as Sybaris in southern Italy and Priene in Asia Minor. Its significance stretched back centuries, with the earliest levels of occupation dating to the Early Bronze Age (3000–2200 BC). Homer’s “Iliad” lists it among Agamemnon’s allies in the Trojan War. The city was also home to a grand temple and Panhellenic cult center dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, whom Helike revered as its patron. But in the winter of 373 BC, the city’s fate took a sudden and tragic turn.

Ancient accounts describe ominous warnings in the days before Helike’s destruction. Five days before disaster struck, “immense columns of flame” were seen in the sky, and animals – snakes, mice, and other creatures – fled to higher ground. Then, in the dead of winter, a violent earthquake shook the land. The ground liquefied, and Helike collapsed into the earth. Moments later, a massive tsunami surged in from the Gulf of Corinth, swallowing the city and dragging ten Spartan ships anchored in its harbor beneath the waves. Every inhabitant perished, and efforts to recover their bodies proved futile. The Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC–c. 24 AD) later claimed that Poseidon himself had drowned the city in divine retribution. In a single night, Helike – once the head of the Achaean League – had disappeared.

For centuries, travelers and historians, including Diodorus Siculus (fl. 1st century BC) and Pausanias (c. 110–c. 180 AD), reported seeing Helike’s ruins beneath the sea. Roman tourists even sailed above the submerged city, marveling at its sunken statues. But over time, silt and sediment buried its remains, and Helike faded into legend. Even modern explorers, including the renowned underwater pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, searched the Gulf of Corinth in vain.

Then, in 2001, archaeologists made a breakthrough – not beneath the sea, but inland, near the village of Rizomylos. There, beneath layers of sediment, they uncovered fourth-century BC walls, pottery, and coins. The lost city had been buried in an ancient lagoon, rather than submerged in the open sea. Excavations continue today, revealing Helike’s streets, buildings, and artifacts, offering a rare glimpse into a once-thriving urban site. Some scholars even speculate that its sudden destruction may have inspired Plato’s tale of Atlantis.

To this day, surveys and excavations at the site continue, shedding new light on Helike’s final moments and its place in ancient Greek history.

Click here for more information about the Helike Project. 

Thouria: A Forgotten Power in Messenia

When discussing ancient Greece, city-states like Athens and Sparta often dominate the conversation. But beyond these famous “poleis,” lesser-known cities played vital roles in shaping the region’s political and cultural landscape. One such city was Thouria, a once-powerful settlement in the eastern part of the Messenian plain, a region in the southwest Peloponnese that remained under Spartan rule for nearly 400 years. Though mentioned in ancient texts, its exact location remained a mystery – until a chance discovery in 2007 changed everything.

Leading an excavation near modern-day Kalamata, archaeologist Xeni Arapogianni uncovered the remains of a fortification wall. What lay beneath turned out to be far more significant than expected: traces of the long-lost city of Thouria. Over the years, excavations have revealed a wealth of structures, including a temple and an “asclepion,” an ancient healing center dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine. This discovery was groundbreaking, as no known historical sources had ever documented its existence.

In 2016, archaeologists made yet another remarkable find – the remains of a large theater constructed from white limestone, dating to the early Hellenistic period (323–31 BC). Theaters were hallmarks of major Greek cities, suggesting that Thouria was far more influential than previously believed. Excavations also uncovered a well-preserved orchestra pit, stone figurines, and an advanced drainage system, further emphasizing the city’s sophistication.

Ancient writers, including Pausanias and Strabo, speculated that Thouria might have been referenced in Homer’s “Iliad” – possibly as the city of Anthea or Aepeia, both of which Agamemnon offered to Achilles as atonement for taking his war prize, Chryseis. Whether this connection holds true or not, the rediscovery of Thouria has rewritten the history of Messenia. Today, excavations continue, drawing archaeology students from around the world, eager to uncover more of its secrets and restore this lost city to its rightful place in history.

Tenea: A City Built by Trojan Captives?

For centuries, the city of Tenea existed only in myth and scattered historical references. Said to have been founded by Trojan prisoners of war around 1100 BC, it was believed to lie somewhere between Corinth and Mycenae. Some even linked it to the legend of Oedipus, the tragic king of Thebes, who was supposedly raised there. Yet despite its legendary status, the actual location of Tenea remained a mystery – until 2018, when Greek-American archaeologist Elena Korka made the most significant discovery of her 40-year career.

The search for Tenea began decades earlier, in 1984, when local villagers near Chiliomodi, in the northern Peloponnese, unearthed an ancient sarcophagus while digging a water channel. Korka immediately recognized its significance. “The minute I saw it, I understood it was something unique,” she told the BBC in 2019. “Sometimes, a find connects with someone. It’s almost spiritual.” The coffin, decorated with rare interior paintings of lions, contained a skeleton and grave offerings, suggesting the presence of a wealthy and influential settlement. Over the years, Korka continued her research in the area, using state-of-the-art geophysical equipment. Excavations uncovered sections of an ancient road, a Roman mausoleum from around 100 BC, and a cistern.

But it wasn’t until 2018 that her team finally unearthed the remains of houses – ancient Tenea had at last been found.

Since then, excavations have revealed streets, buildings, and an extensive cemetery filled with well-preserved tombs, pottery, and jewelry. The findings confirmed that Tenea was a prosperous city, strategically located along key trade routes, with an estimated population of around 100,000 inhabitants. Many of its artifacts are unique, possibly reflecting the city’s Trojan origins. Unlike other lost cities, Tenea wasn’t destroyed by a cataclysm – instead, it gradually faded into obscurity. The reasons for its decline remain unclear, but its rediscovery is reshaping the history of the ancient Corinthian region.

Today, Korka and her team continue to piece together the story of Tenea, shedding light on its Trojan roots, its role in the Greek world, and the mystery of its ultimate disappearance.

For more information about the ongoing research at Tenea, click here. 

Pavlopetri: The Oldest Sunken City

While some lost cities vanish beneath the earth, others disappear beneath the waves. Just off the southeastern coast of Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, lies one of the world’s most extraordinary underwater archaeological sites: Pavlopetri. Submerged for over 3,000 years, this prehistoric settlement is the oldest known sunken city with an almost complete urban layout. First identified in 1904 and brought to global attention in 1967 by British marine archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Flemming, Pavlopetri remains remarkably well-preserved, offering an unparalleled glimpse into the early development of Greek civilization.

Sprawling across 50,000 square meters – roughly the size of seven soccer fields – Pavlopetri was a thriving coastal hub during the Aegean Bronze Age. Its prime location along key maritime trade routes made it a crucial center of exchange, linking Minoan Crete, the Cyclades, and the Greek mainland. Archaeologists have uncovered pottery, fragments of large storage jars (“pithoi”), and loom weights, suggesting the city was heavily involved in both trade and textile production. Its well-planned layout, featuring narrow streets, multi-room buildings, courtyards, and an advanced water management system, reveals an astonishing level of sophistication for its time.

Despite its prosperity, Pavlopetri’s decline remains a mystery. While tectonic activity caused gradual subsidence, many scholars believe its abandonment was linked to the widespread collapse of Bronze Age civilizations after 1200 BC – a period marked by warfare, natural disasters, displaced populations, and shifting trade networks. Though the site saw brief reoccupation in later centuries, it never regained its former glory.

Today, Pavlopetri remains a marvel of underwater archaeology, extensively mapped using cutting-edge technologies such as photogrammetry and sonar imaging. Recent efforts by a research team from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, have produced photo-realistic, three-dimensional images of the seabed, recording underwater structures with millimeter accuracy. Their groundbreaking work was featured in the 2011 BBC documentary “Pavlopetri: City Beneath the Waves.”

However, modern threats such as tourism, pollution, and looting endanger its preservation. The Greek Ministry of Culture continues efforts to safeguard this submerged city, with discussions of underwater signage and guided diving tours – initiatives that aim to make Pavlopetri’s rich history accessible while ensuring its protection for future generations.

For more on this remarkable site, click here.

Kane: The Island City of Conflict

Throughout history, some cities became flashpoints of war, their fates tied to the great struggles of their time. Kane – sometimes spelled “Canae” – was one such place. Though largely forgotten for centuries, this small but strategically vital trade city played a key role in three major conflicts that shaped the ancient world: the Greco-Persian Wars (499–449 BC), the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), and the Roman-Seleucid War (192–188 BC), fought between the Roman Republic and Antiochus the Great.

Located in the far eastern Aegean, off the coast of modern Turkey, Kane served as a crucial link between the Black Sea and the Anatolian coast. But it was in 406 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, that Kane became the backdrop for one of antiquity’s most decisive naval clashes: the Battle of Arginusae. In this pivotal engagement, the Athenian fleet dealt a crushing defeat to Sparta, turning the tide of the war – at least temporarily.

Despite its significance, Kane’s precise location remained a mystery for centuries. Ancient texts described its presence on one of the three Arginusae Islands, but no definitive evidence surfaced. Then, in 2015, a team of archaeologists and geophysicists working near Turkey’s Garip Islands made a breakthrough. Their research revealed that one of the original Arginusae Islands had, over time, fused with the mainland due to earthquakes and sediment buildup, forming a hidden land bridge. What was once an island had become a peninsula, concealing Kane in plain sight.

Excavations soon uncovered remnants of Kane’s Hellenistic harbor, alongside pottery from distant trade routes and marine microorganisms native to the Black Sea, confirming its role as a crucial maritime hub. Mentioned by ancient historians including Herodotus (c. 484–c. 425 BC), Thucydides (c. 460–c. 400 BC), and Strabo, Kane was once a thriving settlement before gradually fading into obscurity. By the time Pliny the Elder wrote about it in the 1st century AD, the city had been abandoned.

Today, the rediscovery of Kane has not only solved a long-standing historical mystery but also reshaped our understanding of ancient geography in this part of the Aegean. As excavations continue, this once-forgotten city is re-emerging from the past, offering new insights into the military and commercial networks of the ancient Mediterranean world.