Helike, the City Lost in a Night
An ancient Greek city vanished in a single night, struck by an earthquake and a wave, and was lost for more than 2,000 years.
What was reported
Helike was a prosperous city on the Gulf of Corinth, with a famous temple of Poseidon. One winter night in 373 BC, a powerful earthquake struck and a great wave swept over the city, destroying it, according to ancient writers.
Visitors in Roman times said its ruins could be seen underwater. Over the centuries the site was lost, and it's sometimes suggested as an inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.
Explanations offered
From 2001 the archaeologists Dora Katsonopoulou and Steven Soter found remains of Helike on land, buried under sediment from a lagoon that formed after the disaster, along with an older Bronze Age town. The earthquake seems to have made the ground sink and turn to mud.
- When
- 373 BC
- Where
- Near Aigio, Achaea, Greece
- Witnesses
- Ancient writers
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.