Ancient city of Helike

Ancient city of Helike

Even today, the lost Atlantis of Aegialia inspires with its cinematic history. The myth connected with the capital of the Achaean League will live on forever, as man’s need to prove the truth of its legend is stronger than the findings that have come to light. This is the paradoxical charm of the mystery and allure the possibility of a world waiting to be discovered conceals.

Founded by the Ionians, the city of Helike was named after Helike, the daughter of Selinus and wife of Ion. A sanctuary famed across Achaia, it boasted the temple of the Helikonian Poseidon, where a larger-than-life statue, dedicated to the god of the Sea, is reported to have existed.

Before becoming submerged in eternal silence, the state was also a great cultural and religious centre, which minted its own currency. The Achaeans who settled there, ousting the Ionians, continued the worship of Poseidon.

According to Pausanias and Strabo, the inhabitants of Helike caused Poseidon’s wrath when they removed from the Sanctuary and killed some supplicants who had found refuge there. Then, a terrible earthquake hit the city, destroying it completely. A landslide and a tsunami then completed the tragedy. Since then, it lies buried east of Aegio, between the rivers Selinountas and Kerinitis.

According to Strabo, the Achaeans sent 2,000 men to help, but they failed to collect even a single body. Years later, fishermen used to say that Poseidon’s statue tore apart the nets that became entangled around it.

Archaeologists and researchers had at times sought answers in the waters along the beach from Trypia to Nikoleika, but their efforts were fruitless. Systematic research only started in 1988 by the American School and Dora Katsonopoulou, who made finding Helike her life’s purpose. This research, which continues to date, has revealed interesting evidence.

The finds from ancient Helike are limited to two bronze coins, housed in the Berlin Museum. However, in the Rizomylos area, Katsonopoulou’s research team unearthed a perfectly organised settlement, with cobbled streets and spacious buildings, representing the country’s only Early Helladic settlement that is preserved almost intact. The most prominent find is a rare type of vessel found in a majestic building, reminiscent of the White House, in the Kolona area of Aegina. Finds dating from the time of the city’s establishment. during the Mycenaean period, and from its heyday in the geometric period, were also unearthed in the Nikoleika region. This discovery leads to the conclusion that, after its great destruction, the city was reborn. Tombs and building vestiges have been discovered in the same area, as well as a large fabric dyeing and production complex, extending over 700 sq. m.

The authorities’ ultimate goal is to highlight the ancient remains and to create a structured archaeological site open to visits in the area.

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