VISITING AKROTIRI SITE
Akrotiri, the ancient settlement of Thera, is located in the south of the island and it is advisable to visit because it is one of the major Greek archaeological sites.
The information about the habitation of Thera in the prehistoric era began to come to light since the second half of the 19th century, when due to the use of pumice for the insulation of the walls of the Suez Canal by the French engineer Ferdinard de Lesseps, in 1866 the prehistoric antiquities were revealed. The first excavations at Akrotiri were made by the French geologist and volcanologist Ferdinand André Fouqué. Small excavation was undertaken in 1870 by the French School of Archaeology in Favatas, a place south of Akrotiri. In this position there was a stream passing, which reached the level of antiquities and had already begun to reveal some of them. However, systematic excavations began in 1967 by Professor Spyros Marinatos, with the help of native Nick Pelekis at the same place that the French excavations took place. Spyros Marinatos began excavations at Akrotiri trying to verify an old theory of his which was published when he was Curator of Antiquities in Crete in 1939, that the eruption of Thera caused the collapse of the Minoan civilization of Crete. After the death of Professor Marinatos in 1974, the excavations continued under the direction of Professor Christos Doumas.
From the findings of the excavations it is now known that the area of Akrotiri was inhabited during the Late Neolithic period (around 4,500 B.C) and during the 18th century B.C. it had emerged into a city. In the early 17th century B.C. it was destroyed by an earthquake, it was rebuilt on its ruins and it flourished during the Late Cycladic I period, until the burial of the Minoan eruption.
The location was ideal for safe anchorage, as it was protected from the northern winds, while the terrain favoured the development of agricultural activities. It is speculated that it was the capital of the island. The extent of the prehistoric city was estimated at approximately 200 acres and had about 30,000 inhabitants.
The structuring was thick and had multistorey buildings with rich frescoes, package stores, craft areas, urban organization with excellent roads, squares and had a fully developed drainage system, which went down the cobbles and was linked directly to the houses. The building materials were stone, clay, mud brick. The large number of paintings, with which many of the buildings were decorated, typically the upper floors, suggest a sophisticated and refined bourgeois society, which was dressed with luxury, elegance, and striking variegation.
The fact that there were not any findings of human skeletons at the settlement, indicates that a series of warning earthquakes forced the residents to leave early. However, before the settlement was buried by the eruption of ash, it had been hit by a major earthquake. Some residents later returned to the village to extricate those who had not had the chance to go and collect valuable personal belongings. Nevertheless, other precursor phenomena of the volcanic explosion, forced the inhabitants to abandon the city again, which is proven by the fact that the work of opening roads was never completed, while a large number of vessels were found on piles of rubble, where, apparently, were originally placed to be moved to safer places. The time, however, between the earthquake and volcanic eruption should not exceed a few tens of days, while the duration of the first explosion, to the development of the caldera is estimated at two to three days.
The first classic dating of the Minoan eruption was based on comparative studies of the art of pottery and Egyptian sources estimating that the eruption that destroyed the city happened in 1,500 B.C. . The most updated method with radiocarbon dates an olive branch that was buried by the explosion of the ash and puts the date of the eruption between 1,627 and 1,600 B.C. . The new dating proves the non-connection with the explosion destroyed the Minoan civilization but, however, estimates that the explosion was the largest volcanic eruption in the world in the last 10,000 years.
In relation to the time of year of the explosion, it is believed that it was spring, because the layer of material of pollen grains of olive and pine trees was found.
In 2012 the archaeological site reopened after replacing the roof. The space is designed so as not to cause any power consumption, as during the day it allows to the natural sunlight to insert while in the evening special openings allow the air movement. In addition, there are special designed trails for visitors and a trail for disabled people. At the site, which is 100 acres, there are checkpoints, a medical center, offices guides, a canteen, toilets, sewage system, a space specially designed for presentations, a large container that collects rainwater, etc. The architectural design was done by the agency "Synthesis and Research", coordinated by architect Nikos Fintikakis, which has won an award in the contest European Solar House 1996.
Official unit of 21st Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Thera: Tel 22860 23217
Office in Athens: Epaminondas 10, Athens
Tel 210 3310966, 210 3310280
www.yppo.gr, www.culture.gr, e-mail: kaepka@culture.gr
Information about the archaeological site
Opening hours: 08:00 - 15: 00 (closed on Mondays)
Admission: 5 €, reduced 3 €
The finds from the excavations of Akrotiri are exhibited at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera
