Excavations at Akrotiri, Santorini

As in Pompeii, the volcanic covering of the archeological site at Akrotiri on Santorini, has kept an ancient settlement from disintegrating over time. The site was found by accident when the Suez Canal was being constructed in 1860. Workers quarrying Santorini's volcanic ash discovered the ruins, but serious excavations at the site didn't begin until 1967. An unfortunate collapse of the roof in 2005, which killed a British tourist, caused the site to be closed. It's scheduled to be reopened sometime after 2010. Greek bureaucracy has brought the repairs of the building to a halt, which has caused Santorini's tourist industry to suffer.

Akrotiri is referred to by some as the "Minoan Pompeii" because of the similarities of the destruction by volcano and the advanced forms of architecture and plumbing. It's one of the most important prehistoric settlements in the Aegean Sea. By analyzing the different items found in the ruins, archeologists were able to pinpoint which countries traded in the port at Akrotiri up until it was covered by lava around 1450 BCE.

Some speculate that Akrotiri could be the lost city of Atlantis. However, it's widely accepted that Akrotiri was part of the Minoan civilization of Crete centered at Knossos. Akrotiri also had trade connections with the Greek mainland, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, and the other islands in the area known as the Dodecanese. Frescoes discovered in the excavations portray parades of boats in what must have been a very busy merchant port.

Archeologists have found an elaborate drainage system, multi-story buildings, art work, clay vessels for food and wine storage, and furniture, all indicating this was a prosperous seaside civilization dating back to around 3000 BCE. To date, only one gold object has been found. A gold ibex was discovered underneath the floor of a house, as if forgotten. It's pictured in the slide show in THIS article.

The excavations at the archeological site at Akrotiri in Santorini are ongoing, so there is scaffolding everywhere and supports in place to stabilize walls, windows and doorways that might otherwise collapse. You need to use your imagination to put yourself back in prehistoric times, but with the help of guides or signs posted along the walkways, you can get a fair idea of what life was like. An excavated toilet, pictured in the slide show in THIS article, has been left in view for the amusement of the tourists and to demonstrate how advanced the plumbing and drainage system was.

The inhabitants had warning that the volcano would erupt, perhaps frightened into leaving by strong earthquakes that were precursors to the massive eruption. No human remains were discovered and no precious possessions, such as jewelry, have been found. They fled the island with their belongings, but tools and storage vessels were left in place, indicating they evacuated the area fairly quickly. Some of the clay pots had traces of olive oil, fish and onions. It's not sure where they went, but they had close ties to Crete and Egypt and would most likely have found refuge there.

The archeological site is now covered by a beautiful permanent building to protect the work being done inside. It's estimated the area of the settlement is 30 times the size of what's been uncovered, but the site they chose to work on has revealed a fascinating cross section of ancient society and sophisticated building techniques. These include houses built three stories high, some with balconies. The frescoes have been relocated to the National Archeological Museum in Athens, but Santorini is trying to get them back. The smaller items, such as furniture, vessels and sculptures, are on display in the island's archeological museum. Not all the artifacts have been taken away, though, and can be seen while walking along the specially constructed walkways through the excavations.