New Article
New research reveals that a lake once existed near ancient Olympia, persisting until the medieval period. These findings provide exciting insights into landscape development and potential impacts on the ancient sanctuary.
2025/03/13 by J. Kreiser
Slabon, L., Obrocki, L., Bäumler, S., Eder, B., Fischer, P., Gehrke, H.-J., Kolia, E.-I., Lang, F., Pantelidis, G., Pilz, O., Wilken, D., Willershäuser, T. & Vött, A., 2025. The Lake of Olympia: Sedimentary evidence of a mid- to late Holocene lake environment in the vicinity of ancient Olympia (western Peloponnese, Greece). Quaternary Environments and Humans 3, 1, 100060.
A new study on the landscape evolution around Olympia (western Peloponnese) has revealed that a lake, the so-called “Lake of Olympia,” existed from around 8000 BC until at least the 6th century AD. Based on 15 sediment cores and multi-proxy analyses, different ecological lake phases were reconstructed, ranging from freshwater to a strong, possibly human-induced eutrophication. During antiquity, Olympia was located directly on the lake shore, with water levels rising steadily until around 600 AD, before abruptly dropping in the 13th/14th century. These changes had a significant impact on the Alpheios River system and raise new questions about the geomorphological and archaeological history of the region.
