Lost Greek city dating back 2,500 years discovered by archaeologists

Science Jeanette Walsh
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Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old lost city in Greece.

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg and the University of Bournemouth have started exploring ruins from a village called Vlochos, around 300km north of Athens.

According to the leader of the research team, Robin Ronnlund, some ruins were already known but been considered to be part of an irrelevant settlement. ‘A colleague and I came across the site in connection with another project last year, and we realized the great potential right away.’

The team found the remains of towers, city gates and walls on the summit and slopes of the hill.

In order to leave the site in the same condition as they found it, the researchers will do their best to avoid excavation and use methods such as ground-penetrating radar instead.

The research team discovered an ancient pottery and coins dating back to around 500 BC during their first two weeks of field work.

Because of the Roman conquest of the area, the city appears to have flourished from the fourth to the third century BC before it was abandoned, Mr. Ronnlund said. He added: ‘Very little is known about ancient cities in the region, and many researchers have previously believed that western Thessaly was somewhat of a backwater during Antiquity. Our project therefore, fills an important gap in the knowledge about the area and shows that a lot remains to be discovered in the Greek soil.’

The field project is going to be continued and has been already planned for August next year.