A rare prehistoric town of the mainland Greece with town plan, was discovered and described by maps from the institute of oceanography of Cambridge in 1968 Pavlopetri of Elafonisos.
The immerged town of the age of copper is found at the northeast side of the small island Pavlopetri in the opposite side of its cemetery in depth of the 2 or 3 meters and the buildings which can be seen from above with naked eye, when the sea is calm, cover a submarine area of 300X100 meters.
The main part of the town lays about 200 meters southwest of the islets, that are opposite of the channel and 70-100 meters away from the coast of Pounta.
Plan of the town: A rare plan, almost unique in continental Greece offer to us prehistoric Pavlopetri. 15 separate buildings, 5 roads, 2 tombs and at least 37 graves were identified and studied. The architecture of its houses has 5 styles and is divided in 10 town sections.
Impressive are the palace of the town, with four rooms (building VII). A building, possibly the temple of the town, on which were found 3 conic cups 4000-5000 years old (building IX), the front yard, the platform of the ceramics, the size of the buildings and the stone roads of the town.
Pavlopetri islet. There are Roman and Byzantine wall remnants.
The cemetery at the coast (4000-5000 years)
An impressive cemetery of firsthellenic period in front of the channel which links the lake with the sea. It has 60 tombs (some of them are now below the level of the sea) and the roads of the grave are rectangular or sphenoid. Impressive is the big tomb which is preserved in an almost good condition. It has a road 2,12 meters long, a tomb with the shape of a kidney (5,22 X 2,95 meters) which communicate internally with the next to it grave. Near the sea, there are 4 graves of children.
The channel and the bridge
A Roman bridge (recently destroyed) was on the channel to link Vies - Onon Gnathos.
The brilliant civilization of Elafonisos
The firsthellenic period is the brightest page of the diverse history of the island. Towns with plans, transportation and communication with kithira, Crete, Cyclades e.t.c.,impressive, for the time populace, high financial level, pottery art in the early time of copper among others prove this fact.
Pavlopetri and Atlantis
Deukalion’s flood and the fable of Atlantis are results of the volcanic explosion of the island, at that time called Stroggili (Santorini) in 1500 b.C. According to the English N.C. Flemmiug, that fact is clearly related to the destruction of the brilliant civilization of the prehistoric town in Pavlopetri.
The findings of the prehistoric town
Many prehistorically findings have been found in the immerged Lakonian town of the age of copper. The following were collected between them: Little idol of an animal from perfect orange-red colored clay, counter weight of loom made of dark dark red clay, counter weight with conical holes made of grey limestone, twenty blades of obsidian and a small cylinder (in island Pavlopetri), small blade made of flint (island Pavlopetri), an object from copper and a little idol of a woman made of copper with hairs binded on the head and a digging up might reveal treasures in this prehistoric area. In Pavlopetri, the waves of the sea rush out of goblets, amphoras, water-jars and cups.

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