Long-term effect of seismic activities on archaeological remains: a test study from Zakynthos, Greece

During the archaeological and geoarchaeological surveys on the island of Zakynthos, Greece, it has been noted that the distribution and preservation of archaeological remains of Zakynthos present spatially different characteristics. In general, archaeological pottery finds and architectural remains in the eastern part of the island appear to be more fragmented and more widely distributed than in the western part of the island. Due to the high seismicity in the region, the question has come up whether a correlation between seismic activity and distribution and preservation conditions of archaeological remains exists or not. In order to investigate the mentioned relationship, we looked at the cumulative effect of continuing earthquakes for the last hundred years on the island of Zakynthos. We used ground acceleration to quantify the earthquake-induced damage. The predicted cumulative destruction intensity is presented on a map, and it illustrates that we can cautiously attribute the distribution difference of the archaeological remains with different preservation conditions to the seismic activity on the island. It is hoped that this study will initiate new scientific research into the characteristics of the distribution of archaeological remains in seismically active areas. In addition, it is to be expected that this study will contribute to in situ preservation studies relating to the long-term effect of seismic activities on the archaeological record.