Xerxes Canal Bypasses Mount Athos

Around 480 BC in northern Greece, King Xerxes I ordered a canal cut across the Mount Athos isthmus to support his invasion. The total length of the canal was 2 km (1.2 mi), its width was 30 metres (100 ft), and it was 3 metres (10 ft) deep. He built the channel to let his fleet bypass the dangerous waters around Athos that had wrecked ships before. The Persians used it, and then it silted up over time, leaving much of the line buried under soil and farmland.

Previous Fact Next Fact