Impact of natural disasters on cultural sites – Lessons from Greece. Abs, International Conference on Climate Change Impacts on Cultural Heritage: Facing the Challenge. 21-22 June 2019, Zappeion Megaron, Athens, Greece.

Greece and the broader Easter Mediterranean have very dynamic geomorphological, environmental and geodynamic regime, that provided a very unique landscape to its inhabitants since prehistoric times. The scenic landforms that were shaped by the constant natural processes and the abundance of hazardous phenomena of the region, such as floods, earthquakes, volcanos, were to a degree part to the ancient societies and their heritage. Their symbiosis, one that lasts for thousands of years, has transferred to our modern societies the responsibility to protect the remnants of this heritage. In the Greek landscape, natural disasters are looming over numerous invaluable cultural sites. Using modern tools we are in the process of understanding the natural risks that threaten cultural sites, especially from new challenges arising from climate change and the associated the intensification of hydro-meteorological and climate-related hazards.