Pheia, Elis

Pheia was an ancient port city of Elis on the western Peloponnese, situated on the isthmus of the Ichthys promontory at modern Katakolo. It served as a crucial harbour for the sanctuary of Olympia, facilitating transport of athletes and spectators to the Games. During the Peloponnesian War in 431 BCE, the Athenian fleet captured Pheia as a strategic coastal base. The city was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in 551 AD, causing a 6.5 m subsidence that submerged the settlement. The ruins now lie about 5 metres underwater in the Bay of Agios Andreas.