Ancient Akrotiri, Santorini
Archaeological dig site of Akrotiri. Photo by Wo Shing Au.
Fresco of the Fisherman from Akrotiri, now in a museum. Public domain.
The Spring Fresco from Akrotiri. Photo by Christopher Holland.
Site of the Spring Fresco. Photo by Christopher Holland.
Collection of pots saved from Akrotiri. Photo by Wo Shing Au.
Location map and aerial view of Ancient Akrotiri. For a larger view,
see our Santorini Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Ancient Akrotiri is the most important of several archaeological sites on the Greek island of Santorini. Nicknamed the "the Minoan Pompeii," the flourishing Minoan town of Aktrotiri was frozen in time around 1450 BC by a cataclysmic eruption of the island's volcano. Today, it has been partially excavated and is protected from the sun inside a large shed.
History
An outpost of Minoan Crete, Akrotiri was settled as early as 3000 BC and reached its peak after 2000 BC, when it developed trade and agriculture and settled the present town. The inhabitants cultivated olive trees and grain, and their advanced architecture - including three-story frescoed houses faced with masonry (some with balconies) and public buildings of sophisticated construction - is evidence of an elaborate lifestyle.
Scholars think that Santorini's volcanic explosion in 1450 BC was so powerful that it destroyed the flourishing Minoan world on Crete as well. At Akrotiri, pots and tools are still where their owners left them before abandoning the town. Unlike Pompeii, no human remains were discovered at Akrotiri - the residents clearly had ample warning of the town's destruction.
After the eruption in 1450 BC, Santorini was uninhabited for about two centuries while the land cooled and plant and animal life regenerated. The impressive remains of Akrotiri were found in 1860 when workers quarrying blocks of volcanic ash for use in building the Suez Canal hit the ancient site. Who knows what undiscovered treasures may have been walled into the canal had an alert workman not noticed an ancient wall! Excavations began under Professor Syridon Marinatos of the University of Athens in 1967 and continue today.
What to See
Since the beginning of excavations, the Akrotiri site has provided the world with a fascinating look at urban life in the Minoan period. Its elaborate architecture and vivid frescoes demonstrate the high level of culture on ancient Santorini.
Most of the extremely well-preserved frescoes are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; Santorini is trying to get them back. Meanwhile, a few frescoes are in the nearby Museum of Prehistoric Thira, and postcard-size pictures of all of them are posted outside the houses where they were found.
Visitors enter the Akrotiri site along the ancient town's main street. On either side are the stores or warehouses of the ancient commercial city, in which numerous large earthen jars, or pithoi, were found, some with traces of olive oil, fish, and onion inside.
You can get the best sense of the scale and urban nature of this town in the triangular plaza, near the exit, where buildings rise to two stories and create a spacious gathering place. You can imagine yourself some 3,000 years ago leaning over a balcony and spying on the passing scene - presumably a better-dressed and more decorous one than at the height of today's tourist season!
There are descriptive plaques in four languages at various points along your path through the town, but unfortunately only a few poor reproductions of the magnificent wall paintings, some of which are on view at the Museum of Prehistoric Thira in Fira.
As you leave the site, you may notice a cluster of flowers beside one of the ancient walls. This marks the burial spot of the site's excavator, Professor Syridon Marinatos of the University of Athens, who died in a fall at Akrotiri.
It is thought that the 40 buildings that have been uncovered are only 1/30th of the huge site and that excavating the remainder will probably take a century. It's another excuse to return to Santorini later (as if you needed one)!
Quick Facts
| Location: | South of modern Akrotiri, near tip of southern horn, Santorini, Cyclades Islands, Greece |
| Get there: | Public bus or guided tour |
| Phone: | 22860/81-366 |
| Hours: | Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm |
| Time: | Allow at least an hour. |
| Cost: | 6€ |
Sources
- Frommer's Greece, 5th ed. (2005).
- Archaeological Site of Akrotiri - Welcome to Santorini
