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Akrotiri Archeological Site

Once one of the most prosperous ports in the Aegean sea, Akrotiri’s history coincides with the story of Atlantis. It was completely destroyed during the Minoan mega eruption but somehow, everyone managed to get out just before the eruption. This place is worth the detour! It is completely excavated and it’s amazing to see the amazing structures that still stand today after the volcano blast.

How Akrotiri came to be

An early Minoan settlement on the island of Santorini which began as a small fishing village in the fifth century. By the end of the third millenium, the inhabitants began trading with other cultures in the Aegean. It wasn’t long before Akrotiri became one of the main ports. Afterwards the city prospered for about 500 years until the eruption of nearby Thera, within the Santorini caldera in 1646 BC.

As a result of the eruption, the city was completely covered with ash and pumice. What’s most interesting about this site is that even though it was destroyed during the mega Minoan eruption, no one died here as a result. All the residents were able to get out along with their most valuable possessions. This is why this city is associated with the legend of Atlantis. Since it was completely covered during the Minoan eruption, the site has been extremely well preserved under the pumice.

How did the residents know they had to evacuate?

Severe earthquakes preceded the Minoan eruption and the inhabitants of Akrotiri started to prepare the site for a catastrophic event and they evacuated the site. The inhabitants planned on returning so they placed large vessels in doorways to protect them and they took all of their most valuable belongings with them. Not a single human skeleton was found on the site so it’s safe to assume that everyone got off. It is most likely however, that they sank at sea while they were fleeing. The eruption that followed created enormous tidal waves that would have easily engulfed the fleeing ships. The amount of ash and pumice that covered the city made it impossible for them to return but it preserved a lot of items for us to look at today.

The Legend of Atlantis

The way Plato tells his story of Atlantis very much ressembles the story of the destruction of Akrotiri. A beautiful sophisticated island, with great knowledge and wealth was destroyed suddenly by a cataclysmic event much like Akrotiri was.

Plato described Atlantis as “a great and wonderful empire… There occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.” Plato’s description of the sudden obliteration of Atlantis even coincides with the eruption of Thera and the destruction of Akrotiri. In addition, Akrotiri is a modern name for the city, it was named after the neighboring town of Akrotiri. In the past, it could easily have been called Atlantis.

Uncovering Akrotiri

Excavations began in 1867 by French geologist F. Fouque and work was picked up by different archeologists over the years. In 1967 the site was fully excavated and over 5000 vessels of varios shapes and sizes were found here. Most of these were made out of pottery and painted with beautiful designs. They also found numerous tools and figurines. Only one gold object was found here and it was buried beneath a floor. It was found in 1999 and resembled a goat. The site was closed in 2005 when a part of the roof that was being built to protect the site collapsed killing a british tourist. The site reopened in 2012 and has been open to visitors ever since.

Be sure to wear good walking shoes, a sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, comfortable clothes. Bring lots of water, in bottles or a good hydration pack and a camera.

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