In the 8 years that the investigation of the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology – Speleology in Prespa lasted, archaeological remains were found in the complexes of Caves “Raksanets 1 and 3, Tserna 2, Panagia Glykofilousa and Koula 5”.
The lakes of Prespa, apart from their natural beauty, they are also known for their archaeological and Byzantine wealth, with the numerous surviving monuments. The Byzantine and post-Byzantine hermitages, which developed after the 13th century in Megali Prespa, have a special place in Prespa’s monumental stock. These are isolated caves on the rocky shores of the lake, which became the retreats of a peculiar ascetic monasticism, which lasted until the 19th century. The best known to expert tourist guides, in the Greek part of the lake, are the hermitages of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Little Assumption and the Virgin of Eleusis. On the Albanian side and on the islet “mali Grad” the hermitage of the Assumption of the Virgin and on the North Macedonian side and on the islet “Golem Grade”, the church of the Apostle Peter.
There are, however, dozens of other unknown caves, which have recently been brought to light by the scientific research carried out by speleologists and scientists in the Greek part of the lake. Christina Michelaki and Michalis Kontos, archaeologists of the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology – Speleology of Northern Greece, speaking at the recent conference on the utilization of the monumental wealth of Prespa, announced that reconnaissance surveys carried out from 2011 to 2019 in Megali Prespa, with the aim of exploring and cave recording, 40 caves, precipices and rock roofs were identified and mapped on the shores of the lake, many of which were unknown even to the local residents.
Mrs. Michelaki explained that in recent decades the significant drop in the level of the lake in Megali Prespa has resulted in “the discovery of many caves that were not known at all or others whose real dimensions we did not know” as most of them were flooded . They are distributed on both sides of the Gulf of Psarades and extend west to the Greek-Albanian border and east to the outpost of Kula. The archaeologists report that these are horizontal caves, except for “Pigadi” and “Raksanets 2” which are large cave walls.
In the 8 years that the investigation of the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology – Speleology in Prespa lasted, archaeological remains were found in the complexes of Caves “Raksanets 1 and 3, Tserna 2, Panagia Glykofilousa and Koula 5”.
According to Ms. Michelaki, the findings cover the latest Neolithic era to the early Bronze Age and “present similarities with the archaeological material that has already come to light in prehistoric sites west of Prespa, in the Koritsa basin, in the lakeside settlements of maliq and kalamas, who is considered one of the most important of the Neolithic era”.
Mr. Kontos adds that “the pottery, stone tools and clay weights found in the above caves show us that a culture with common characteristics and common art flourished in the wider Prespa basin”.
What happened in Neolithic times and the caves were flooded with water? And how did it manage to save archaeological material even though for thousands of years the caves were covered with water?
According to scientific research, Mikri and Megali Prespa, together with Lake Ahrida, were formed three million years ago and are among the oldest surviving lakes in Europe, while hydrogeologists believe that they form a single hydraulic system of the Balkans. Besides, it is known that part of the waters of Megali Prespa, through underground channels, flow into Lake Ahrida.
The inhabitants of the Neolithic era were forced to leave the lake caves when significant climatic changes in the Mediterranean basin resulted in rising water levels. Ms. Michelaki notes that “there are international studies that document the periodic fluctuation of the level of Maliq lake in Koritsa with the changes in the Mediterranean basin, confirming the picture that emerges of a similar fluctuation of the water level in Megali Prespa”.
Mr. Kontos points out that “the vases, various utensils, processed shells, cups and textile weights, which were also used in fishing and which were found in some caves, were saved because large-scale landslides occurred inside them, resulting in the creation of a protective wall against the advance of water”.
The most impressive cave in size is “Cherna 3”, which has stalactites in a corridor 70 meters long, with a great height and as Ms. Michelaki mentions, scientific research in this particular cave needs to continue in greater depth.
Mrs. Michelaki also referred to two well-known caves – “Zachariadis” and “Hospital of the Rebels” – which were preserved as part of the Interreg program in 2008 in order to be visited, pointing out that “for the safety of the visitors, the continuous maintenance and restoration of all is needed of the damages they present, while he underlined that “it is considered necessary to prepare a rock engineering study, in order to definitively deal with the problems that have occurred”.
RES-EMP
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