Archaeology in Santorini


Ancient Thera

Thera was built on Mesa Vouno (396m above sea level, see photo 1), very near to Kamari.
A steep winding road leads from Kamari up to Mesa Vouno. The strategic advantages of the site attracted the attention of the Lacedaemonians who founded their city on the limestone rock of Mesa Vouno.
From the 9th century B.C. until the spread of Christianity, the city of Mesa Vouno was the only urban center of the island.
Here you will also find the ruines of three churches of the early fourth or fifth century BC. Many other items of archaeological interest can be found here, like the sanctuary of Artemis with the symbols of a lion and an eagle, representing Apollo and Zeus. One can see the ruins of the agora, theater, public and private buildings, but of the finds an Archaic clay idol, completely intact, is the most impressive.
See picture--->

Akrotiri
Akrotiri is a village built about 12 km from Thera to the southwest of the island.
The excavations in that area unveiled the city of Acropolis, a fortified Venetian stronghold in the medieval years, which was destoyed after the occupation by the Turks.
The remains of the stronghold can clearly be seen.
There are two churches, Aghia Triada and Ipapandi tou Sotiros.
Akrotiri is best preserved of all the prehistoric settlements discovered in the Aegean. Excavation of the site evidenced that the volcano had indeed erupted around 1500 BC, since the remains of the town were buried beneath a deep layer of volcanic ashes.

The prehistoric town of Akrotiri was the centre of a highly developed civilisation which reached its summit in about 1550 - 1500 BC (a period known as Late Minoan IA).
The area had been continuously inhabited since the neolithic period, until a tremendous volcanic eruption covered everything the islanders had created with a layer of pumice and ashes.
The architecture of the city is strongly Cycladic. The houses were two - or three - storeys high with many rooms. The most luxurious houses were built of moulded stone; the others were made of mud and straw.

No written documents of any kind have been found in the prehistoric city of Akrotiri.
This means that, in order to be able to get some picture of economic and social life before the catastrophe, scientists had to rely solely on the rich findings unearthed by the digs.
The reputation of the Cycladic islanders as seafarers as well as scenes in frescos, showing naval fleets, led to the conclusion that the citizens of Akrotiri must have had a flourishing merchant navy. This would have allowed them to maintain trade with Crete and the mainland of Greece. Natural scenes in the frescos show subjects that are not native to Greece, but rather seem related to the landscape of Egypt indicating that the islanders also had contact with that region.
The large number of vases and other types of pottery, tell us that another flourishing sector of the island's economy was that of ceramic production. The finding of stone tools and vessels, such as mills, pestels and hammers, implies a well-developmed form of masonry. Finally, the high quality of town planning, architecture and painting shows that Santorinians of that period were superb architects, constructors, engineers, and artists.
Based on its architecture and the town plan the settlement at Akrotiri reveals a good deal about the structure of its society.

Kamari, archaeological sites
Recently new excavations started in Kamari, to reveal what are likely the most ancient remnants of Thera. It is known that at the time, people tried to build a harbour in Kamari. But they seem never to have succeeded.

Part of the source: the Ministery of Culture.

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