Rethinking Holocene landscape evolution at Olympia (Greece): challenging the palaeolake hypothesis in favour of an open fluvial system

A new geomorphological and sediment-budget analysis challenges the long-held hypothesis of a persistent palaeolake at Olympia, Greece. Instead, evidence from stratigraphic records, microfaunal assemblages, and regional source-to-sink comparisons supports an open fluvial system throughout the Holocene. The study reveals that sediment volumes in the Alpheios delta and floodplain exceed potential lake storage by 14–17 times, while palaeohydrological reconstructions show that presumed harbour sites would have been flooded under a lacustrine scenario. Localised late-Holocene block uplift offers an alternative explanation for previously attributed lake-level fluctuations, indicating the Olympia plain functioned as part of an unimpounded river system, with the Alpheios River likely flowing near the sanctuary's southern margin during Antiquity.

Vespremeanu-Stroe, A., Preoteasa, L., Evelpidou, N., Țuțuianu, L., Hanganu, D., Dobre, M., Cîrjan, A., Grosu, G., Berbecariu, A., & Anthony, E. (2026). Rethinking Holocene landscape evolution at Olympia (Greece): challenging the palaeolake hypothesis in favour of an open fluvial system. Quaternary International, 783, 110442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110442