For many decades, the underwater city of Pavlopetri was just an unmarked and unremarked area in Vatika Bay. Ships and small boats often had no idea that they were above, or in the proximity of, an ancient Bronze Age city that they were thereby endangering. It was ARCH’s goal to have the coordinates designating this site officially determined and registered by the authorities. To this purpose, we held meetings with the Greek Ministry of Culture and its Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities starting in the fall of 2015. Buoys were donated by the Greek Chapter of ARCH and placed around the archeological site by Dr. Angeliki Simosi, Director of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, during Pavlopetri Watch Day 2016. A formal resolution to recognize the Pavlopetri archeological and cultural heritage site was passed by the relevant Greek government Council following Pavlopetri Watch Day 2017. Both the resolution, and the geographical coordinates, were published just now, in March 2018.

The geographical coordinates of the area around Pavlopetri designating it as an archeological and cultural heritage site have been published in the official Greek government organ known as FEK. 

This is a big step forward for the protection and preservation of Pavlopetri, and it gives ARCH a launching point for our next goal, to designate the site as a Marine Protected Area or an Underwater National Park.

Read the official document here (in Greek).