The paradise of biodiversity is hidden behind important archaeological sites in Greece. Thanks to the special conditions of protection, many different species of plants and animals have found shelter in archaeological sites, the recording of which has been started by a team of 48 scientists from seven universities and research institutes. The only enemies of the rich flora and fauna of these places are deforestation and … cats.

The program is called VIOLENCEfrom initials “Biodiversity in archaeological sites”, which form the name of Via Priene, one of the seven sages of antiquity. This is a partnership between the Ministries of Culture and the Environment and the University of Athens, funded by OFYPEKA (Environmental Protection Agency). The program involves 26 zoologists of all specialties and 22 botanists from seven universities and research institutes, who will have 474 days of field research and 80 days of laboratory analysis. Research is carried out in 20 archaeological sites throughout Greece: from the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora in Athens to Delos, Phaistos, Agios Achilles in Prespa, Mon Repos in Corfu.

The scientific leader is Panagiotis Pafilis, Professor of Animal Diversity, Department of Biology, University of Athens. “Archaeological sites, since they were under protection for a long time, functioned as a refuge for flora and fauna”, explains “K”. “Some of them have been declared World Heritage Sites. UNESCOsuch as the Acropolis, Epidaurus, Olympia and Philippi. Some of them are in Natura areas such as Mystras and Acrocorinth, and some are both. Of course, the exploitation of an archaeological site imposes some restrictions related to the need to visit it.

For example, all archaeological sites are deforested around the sites, both to prevent access and to protect them in the event of a fire. But everyone has places that are either inaccessible or unattractive. In addition, some archaeological sites occupy a very large area, for example. Acrocorinth, and thus deforestation is limited to points where it is deemed necessary. Thus, the flora remains rich. For the fauna, the biggest enemy is probably… cats.”

In the case of fauna, there is a large unexplored field. “Earlier, some records were made about animals and birds on archaeological sites. However, fundamental studies on large groups of animals such as invertebrates (insects, spiders, snails, etc.) have not been carried out. In this research work will be original, because we do not know what exists. The first results are impressive with the abundance and diversity of species of even the largest animals, such as birds, mammals and reptiles. In fact, they are familiar with the human presence, ie. we saw partridges at the archeological site in Sounio.”