What caused the destruction of Helike in 373 BC?

The ancient Greek city-state of Helike was completely destroyed and submerged in the winter of 373 BC. Modern research attributes this catastrophic event to a powerful earthquake followed by an accompanying tsunami. The remains of the lost city were eventually rediscovered in 2001 buried within an ancient lagoon near Rizomylos.

What we know

• Helike was an ancient Greek city-state submerged in the winter of 373 BC. [1, 2]
• Modern research attributes the catastrophe to an earthquake and accompanying tsunami. [2]
• The remains of Helike were rediscovered in 2001 buried in an ancient lagoon near the village of Rizomylos. [2]
• Helike was located in Achaea, northern Peloponnesos, two kilometers from the Corinthian Gulf. [2]

Where to go next

• how we knowHow were the ruins of Helike found in 2001?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the history of the Achaean League?
• compared withWhich other ancient Greek cities were destroyed by tsunamis?
• how it workedHow do underwater earthquakes generate tsunamis?
• a case in pointWhat other sites are on the World Monuments Fund endangered list?
• an unexpected connectionHow did ancient historians explain tsunamis before modern science?Even as early as 426 BC, the Greek historian Thucydides correctly inquired into tectonic causes, linking tsunamis specifically to ocean earthquakes.

Sources

• [1]Helike (Wikidata Q1432654) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Helike · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of tsunamis · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of historical earthquakes · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of tsunamis in Europe · CC BY-SA 4.0