Pavlopetri

Pavlopetri Watch Day was the result of the designation of Pavlopetri by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) 2016–2018 Watch (https://www.wmf.org/watch/watch_year/2016), following nomination by the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ARCH) International and the Greek Chapter of ARCH, who jointly organised Pavlopetri Watch Day.

The Greek Chapter of ARCH is a community-based organization, and has successfully brought together the Greek Municipalities of Elafonisos and Monemvasia, the Greek Ministry of Culture Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to protect Pavlopetri.

[img_assist|nid=158|title=Nic Flemming at Pavlopetri Watch Day|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=400|height=240]

Events at Pavlopetri Watch Day included installation of a ring of eleven buoys marking the perimeter of the Pavlopetri archaeological site, guided snorkelling tours of the site in Greek and English, a PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Nic Flemming (who discovered the site in 1967), distribution of an information brochure, a photographic exhibition, screening of a film about Pavlopetri created by Elafonisos high-school students, and a game and colouring book for children. During the weekend, hundreds of locals and tourists participated in the various activities. A documentary film crew filmed the events, and reports appeared later in several Greek newspapers and on ERT television channel.

[img_assist|nid=159|title=Installation of perimeter buoy|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=400|height=265]
[img_assist|nid=160|title=Local school children with Pavlopetri underwater archaeological game |desc=|link=none|align=left|width=400|height=300]
[img_assist|nid=161|title=Despoina Koutsoumba introduces snorkelling tour|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=400|height=300]
Research at Pavlopetri was carried out in in 2009–2011 by the University of Nottingham and other associated universities in conjunction with the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities. Since then, the site has received significant attention from local residents. In May 2014, Dr. Cheryl Benard, President of ARCH International, visited Pavlopetri and met with local supporters. ARCH International subsequently adopted Pavlopetri as one of its endangered sites and the Greek Chapter of ARCH was formed (See www.archinternational.org.) The Greek Chapter of ARCH holds community meetings in Neapolis to inform residents of events and issues concerning Pavlopetri, meets with Ministry officials and non-profit organizations, and maintains the website www.pavlopetri.org and the Greek Chapter of ARCH Facebook page.

The three greatest dangers to Pavlopetri are pollution, shifting sediments and looting.

Pollution: The greatest source of pollution in Vatika Bay is the large commercial ships that anchor there. In addition to illegally polluting the waters of the Bay, their anchors have devastated meadows of EU-protected Posidonia oceanica on the seabed. ARCH International is preparing to file actions with the EU protesting the pollution and damage to the Posidonia oceanica in Vatika Bay, and with the United Nations protesting the damage to the cultural heritage site of Pavlopetri.

Shifting sediments: Shifting sediments are caused by natural wave action, but also by small boats that traverse the Pavlopetri site, running their propellors and anchoring in the ruins. In 2013, an agreement signed by the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, the Municipality of Elafonisos, and the Region of the Peloponnese, provided for a ring of buoys to be placed around the archaeological site to designate the site as off limits to small boats. Working with the Municipality of Elafonisos, the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, ARCH was allowed to purchase buoys, chains, and cement bases, and donate them to the Ephorate. The Ephorate supervised the placement of the buoys around the perimeter of the site on the morning of July 23, 2016. When the final buoy was put in place, the Director of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, Angeliki Simosi, declared that Pavlopetri now has the status of a museum.

[img_assist|nid=162|title=Aerial view of Pavlopetri site showing boundary of protection area|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=400|height=261]

Looting: Education is the best defence against looting at an unsupervised outdoor archaeological site. ARCH and the WMF printed an educational brochure that was distributed to individuals at Pavlopetri Watch Day and to local hotels and businesses. Schools in Neapolis and on Elafonisos Island include Pavlopetri in study units and inform students about why pot sherds and other artefacts must be left in place. Dr. Flemming's information-packed presentation educated over two hundred attendees on the fascination and value of the site, and will help to reduce the dangers of looting. When the local people feel involved and can participate in the protection of a site, they will deter visitors from looting and report infringements.

The 2013 agreement between the Municipality of Elafonisos and the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities includes plans for an information kiosk on the beach near Pavlopetri built in the style of a building in ancient Pavlopetri, with city maps, diagrams of ancient trade routes, snorkelling routes through the site, and historical information on its walls. To further protect the site, a designated parking area and boardwalks with signage traversing the sand dunes has been proposed. Funds must be raised for design work and construction of the kiosk, and work will need to be coordinated with the Ministry of the Environment, as the beach is part of the Lake Strongyli Natura 2000 site.

In summary, energetic volunteers in a non-profit organization have successfully brought scientists and government organisations together to protect the endangered underwater archaeological site of Pavlopetri. The 2016 Pavlopetri Watch Day is only the beginning.

Background Reading

Bent, J. T. (ed.) 1893. Early Voyages and Travels in the Levant. I. The Diary of Master Thomas Dallam,1599–1600. II. Extracts from the diaries of Dr John Covel 1670–1679. With Some Account of the Levant Company of Turkey Merchants. London, Hakluyt Society.

Covel, J. 1670–79. British Library. MS Add 22,912. AUTOGRAPH journal of Dr John Covel during his travels in Asia and Italy, 1670–1678. Accompanied by plans, sketches, copies of inscriptions, etc. At f. 393 b is a printed broadside, entitled ‘The Wondrus flittinge of the Kirk of ovr B. Ledy of Loreto. In Loreto per Francesco Serafini MDCXXXV’; and at f. 395 b is the same in Welsh. Paper. Folio..

Flemming, N.C. 1968. Holocene earth movements and eustatic sea level change in the Peloponnese. Nature 217: 1031–1032.

Harding, A.F., Cadogan, G. and Howell, R. 1969. Pavlopetri, an underwater Bronze Age town in Laconia. Annual of the British School at Athens 64: 112–142.

Henderson, J.C., Gallou, C., Flemming, N.C. and Spondylis, E. 2011. The Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project: investigating an ancient submerged town. In: Benjamin, J., Bonsall, C., Pickard, C., and Fischer, A. (eds). Submerged Prehistory. Papers presented at the 2009 Conference of the European Archaeologists’ Association. Oxbow Books, pp. 207–218.

Johnson-Roberson, M., Bryson, M., Friedman, A., Pizarro, O., Troni, I., Ozog, P., and Henderson, J.C. 2016. High-resolution underwater robotic vision-based mapping and three-dimensional reconstruction for archaeology. Journal of Field Robotics. DOI: 10.1002/rob.21658.

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