You might think from Instagram that Santorini is exclusively villages with white and blue houses and picture-perfect sunsets. However, if you go south from Oia and Fira, the most touristed towns in Santorini, you will find the ruined city of Akrotiri. In this article’s cover photo, the Minoan fresco depicts a fleet of ships visiting the ancient Akrotiri.
The name Akrotiri actually refers to a small town in the south of Santorini with the same name. The original name of the town of Akrotiri is a mystery.
About Akrotiri
Akrotiri used to be a simple fishing village that shows what Santorini was like in the past, before mass tourism on the Greek island. Much like the pictures from photographer Robert McCabe that show traditional Mykonos and Santorini, Akrotiri used to be a land of simple fishing, farming, and growing olives and grains. It grew into a wealthy city because it was on a major trade route.
The Minoans who lived in Akrotiri painted frescoes, made their own wine, and made pots and furniture. This was even during the Bronze Age, when in other areas of Europe, people were still living in huts. Some say that Akrotiri inspired Plato’s city of Atlantis.
Santorini’s Volcanic Eruption
Around 1600 BC, the huge volcano called Thera on Santorini erupted. This was one of the biggest eruptions ever recorded, sending ash up for 30 kilometers and a tsunami to Crete and Egypt.
Fortunately, many locals had the chance to leave the island at the time. This is known because there were no human skeletons found at the site. It seems like the locals left in an organized way. Piles of stones were collected in areas to open the streets. Big vessels were found under the doorways in order to be protected. Locals left with the hope that they could return home.
Excavations in Akrotiri
Even when everybody left Santorini, the island was recolonised. Phenicians, Dorians, and Romans all came to live at one point on the island. But the buried city remained buried until the 1860s. Some workers digging for materials for the Suez canal accidentally found ruins from Akrotiri. Even then, it was 100 years until excavations started officially on the site.
In 1967, finally, archaeologists found the first of the historic buildings of the ancient city of Akrotiri. During the excavations, many different kind of tools, figurines, and furniture were discovered. By analyzing food and bones of animals at the site, we get an idea of the daily life of the people who used to life in Akrotiri. Since 1967, 40 buildings have been found, but that’s just a fraction of the city of Akrotiri. Some say that it could take up to 100 years to find the rest of the buried buildings.
How to Get to Akrotiri
There is a regular bus schedule from Fira to the car park of Akrotiri’s Red Beach. From there, you only need to walk 250 meters to get to the site. This trip takes about 20 minutes. You can also take a bus to the village of Akrotiri and walk from there to the archaeological site.
