Caves are inevitably linked to their external environment, whether as geological features or archaeological sites. Franchthi Cave, a well-known prehistoric site with an exceptional occupational sequence spanning the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods, lies on the shores of the Bay of Kiladha, in the southern Argolid (Greece). As a result, much of the landscape that formed its prehistoric environment is now submerged because of the Holocene sea-level rise.
Franchthi Cave was excavated in 1967-1976 by a team from Indiana University, with a particular focus on environmental studies. Research later extended beyond the cave, as investigations were carried out in the bay to reconstruct the prehistoric landscape linked to its occupation and look for traces of a Neolithic village (1979-1985).
A new, interdisciplinary research program (the “Bay of Kiladha” project) started in 2012, with updated technology. More evidence of Neolithic activity was found in the bay, as well as a fortified Early Bronze Age settlement: underwater excavations showed that its oldest stratigraphic layers potentially dated back to the Final Neolithic and could thus have been contemporary with the occupation of the cave. Current research objectives range from studying submerged prehistoric landscapes on a wider scale to mapping Franchthi Cave and dating its partial collapse, further connecting the cave with the bay.

First Author: Julien Beck

Co-Authors: Patrizia Birchler Emery, Dimitris Sakellariou

Keywords:
Franchthi Cave
Bay of Kiladha
prehistory
landscape
submerged
cave