The remains of the long-suspected shrine in the plain below the ancient Samikon fortress, Greece (Photo: Dr. Birgitta Eder, Department of Athens)

Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient temple dedicated to Poseidon, thought to have been lost long after a series of tsunamis hit Greece.

The remains of what researchers believe is the Temple of Poseidon have been excavated at the Kleidi site in Samikon, near the town of Krestena in Greece.

The site would correspond to the area mentioned in writings by the ancient Greek historian Strabo, who described the sanctuary more than 2,000 years ago.

Archaeologists from Austria, Germany and Greece all worked together to make the astonishing discovery.

They are said to have uncovered the remains of the early temple-like structure that stood on the site of the Poseidon Shrine and was probably dedicated to the mythological god himself.

Geomorphology professor Andreas Vött said in a statement: “The results of our research so far indicate that the waves of the open Ionian Sea stretched up to the 5th millennium BC. They were washed directly against the group of hills.

“As a result, an extensive coastal beach barrier system developed, isolating several lagoons from the sea.”

The excavations will be carried out in autumn 2022 (Photo: Dr. Birgitta Eder, Department of Athens)

There is evidence that tsunamis repeatedly hit the region in both prehistoric and historical periods, the most recent of which date back to the 6th and 14th centuries AD.

Vött added: “The elevated position of the hills would have been fundamental in ancient times, as it would have enabled people to move north and south along the coast on dry land.”

Traces of the structure were reportedly found in Fall 2021 at the eastern base of the hill by geophysicists led by Dr. Denis Wilken from the University of Kiel.

Excavations led by Dr. Birgitta Eder of the Austrian Archaeological Institute later showed that the structures could be the foundations of the long-lost Temple of Poseidon.

Eder said: “The location of this uncovered sacred place agrees with what Strabo indicates in his writings.”

The image shows the use of the direct thrust system to probe the subsurface near the ancient temple of Kleidi to obtain evidence of coastal and landscape changes, undated photo. The hill in the background shows the remains of the walls of the ancient fortress of Samikon above Kleidi, Greece. (Vott Group/Newsflash)

Scientists use the direct thrust system to examine the subsoil at the ancient Kleidi Temple for signs of coastal and landscape changes (Photo: Vott group/Newsflash)

Extensive archaeological, geoarchaeological, and geophysical studies are needed to determine whether the area’s history of extreme waves is related to the temple’s importance as a place of worship.

The University of Mainz said: “It seems possible that this location was explicitly chosen for the location of the Temple of Poseidon because of these extreme events.

“After all, the ancients used Poseidon, with his cult title Earthshaker, for earthquakes and tsunamis.”