City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri

SYNOPSIS

It's not as famous as its Italian cousin, but Pavlopetri is a sort of Greek Pompeii that's been submerged for thousands of years, but was only discovered in the 60s. Five thousand years ago, however, it housed a thriving civilisation with flushing toilets, a textile industry and villas. The archaeologists not only map out the city, but with the help of a visual effects expert, digitally re-create it stone by stone. So as a diver swims past some rocks, a building magically springs up in their place and a tiny shard of pottery becomes a delicate soup bowl. Even the most innocuous finds tell an elaborate story. Radio Times reviewer - Jane Rackham