ABSTRACT

The regional characteristics of rainfall and the terrain morphology differentiate Greek floods from those of Northern Europe, both in spatial and temporal scales. Palaeoflood hydrology is the reconstruction of the magnitude and frequency of recent, past, or ancient floods using geological evidence. Palaeoflood techniques cannot estimate hydrological regime accurately because palaeofloods are strongly affected by changes in catchment vegetation and, for periods after the onset of human civilization, land use. The rich Greek mythology includes many stories related to floods. Ancient Greek literature contains numerous references to these stories, thus enriching the narration on different topics. Large-scale flood control and drainage infrastructures first appeared in mainland Greece during the Mycenaean period. The evolution of flood mitigation and management practices in modern Greece followed corresponding demographic and socio-economic development. Palaeoflood data, mythological narrations, written documents and archaeological evidence suggest that floods have created severe problems to humans at all stages of civilization, and also that river flood regimes have changed continually.