Naturally when one is traveling in Greece, they visit major sites such as the Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, or Sparta. But for those who prefer venturing onto unknown roads outside tourist areas, you will be delighted. There are thousands of sites throughout Greece, small and large, while even more remain buried in the earth, awaiting an archeologist hand.
In 1930, young British archeologist Humfry Payne was convinced that there was something special about Perachora, though nobody took him seriously. Humfry started digging for pot shards and ancient walls, but what he found was a miracle. Temples, alters, roads, watch towers, a beautiful system for water storage; reveled themselves to the Mediterranean sunlight for the first time in thousands of years.
Three more seasons of digging and he discovered thousands of precious beautiful gifts offered to the Goddess Hera: statues of animals, birds, mythical creatures, jewelery, scarabs, ivory, terracotta figurines, and painted pottery. Every night, these finds were taken by ship for a summer’s night sail to Piraeus- the port of Athens, and then taken to the National Museum were they were cleaned, sorted, and mended.
Humfry died tragically from staphylococcus after a minor surgery; he was only 34 years old. His wife, Dilys Powell, a famous British film critic, beautifully recalls the excavation and her fondness of the locals in her book “An Affair of the Heart”.
Today, Perachora is a quiet site, as few foreigners are aware of its existence. Perfect for the traveler that prefers to reflect on antiquity in peaceful solitude among cliffs, pine forest and sea while imagining oracles, torch light, and ancient ships docking at port.
