Yperia Krini spring (central Greece): Inferences on climatic changes from its 2000 years of history

The development of past civilizations and the foundation of towns have always been strictly linked to the availability of water. Following the Actualism principle and based on the hydraulic capacity, we analyse more than 2000 years of evolution of Yperia Krini spring in Thessaly (Greece), by investigating possible variations in terms of water discharge. In particular, the integrated analysis of geological, hydrological, hydrogeological and historical data relative to the spring, called by Sophocles a ‘gift of God and source of life’, allowed us to understand the role played by both climatic variations and anthropogenic activities on the behaviour and the characteristics of the local underground water resources within the Thessalian plain.