Archaeological Site of Akrotiri - Introduction
Welcome to the enchanting island of Santorini, a breathtaking gem nestled in the Aegean Sea. Santorini is known for its stunning sunsets, iconic blue-domed churches, and crystal-clear waters, a captivating destination that promises a unique blend of natural beauty, vibrant culture and rich history. But it is also home to the archaeological site of Akrotiri.I am Yannis and together, we will discover the Akrotiri archaeological site, a place where history comes alive and where the fascinating remnants of an ancient civilization are buried beneath layers of volcanic ash. Let's embark on a journey through time and uncover the mysteries of Akrotiri. Visiting Akrotiri is a window into the life of a distant people – and a different side of Santorini. Akrotiri started life as a simple fishing and farming village, growing olives and grains. But because it was positioned on the trade route between Europe and the Middle East, the money flowed in and it grew up into a big, prosperous port city.
Stop 1 - The entrance
As you enter the site, take a moment to appreciate the scale of this ancient city. Akrotiri was a flourishing Minoan settlement around 4,000 years ago, nestled in the shadow of the Santorini volcano. The city was remarkably advanced for its time, featuring multi-story buildings, intricate frescoes, and an advanced drainage system.Akrotiri was a democratic place though, which had its own parliament and no palaces. People lived in two- and three-storey houses which came with balconies, underfloor heating, hot and cold running water, and some of the first indoor toilets. The Minoan people decorated Akrotiri with elaborately painted frescoes, made their own wine and crafted furniture, pots and sculptures. It’s said that Akrotiri was Plato’s inspiration for the city of Atlantis.
Stop 2 - The Xeste 3 Building
Pass by the model case and turn left towards the path leading inside the city. Walk two or three steps and stand across the prehistoric building with the staircase on your left hand. This is our first point of interest: Xeste 3. Xeste 3 is a large building, two storeys high containing 15 rooms each but the part of the building around the service staircase was three storeys high. The entrance leads into a paved vestibule which gives access to a stairway to the upper floor. The grand staircase was adorned with wall paintings of colourful mountainous landscape with blossoming trees and flowers against the white background.Some rooms are connected by multiple doors and were decorated by wall paintings. In one room a scared area was discovered referred to as a "Lustral basin". The most interesting frescoes was the one of three women in the field. The one on the left is seen offering saffron to an enthroned female figure with other sacred elements present, the monkey and griffin. Through the architectural features of the Xeste 3 building structure and frescoes, it is thought that the site was used for the performance of rituals.The Xeste 3 is mainly made of stone and brick like the West House containing aspects that indicate it also belonged to people of the upper class. This excavation indicates this site as a building used for public ceremonies. It was a centre of ritual activity for the community. This indicating Thera to be an advanced civilisation during the bronze age. The most important Large edifice, at least two-storeys high, with fourteen rooms on each floor. Some of rooms were connected by multiple doors and decorated with magnificent wall-paintings. The paintings here provide insights into the religious beliefs and rituals of the Akrotiri people. Marvel at the detailed depictions of ceremonies, processions, and mythical scenes that offer a window into the spiritual life of this ancient society. Large edifice, at least two-storeys high, with fourteen rooms on each floor. Some of rooms were connected by multiple doors and decorated with magnificent wall-paintings. In one of them there was a "Lustral basin", which is considered a sacred area. The most interesting of the frescoes are the ones of the Altar and of the Saffron Gatherers. The former depicts three women in a field with bloomed crocuses and an altar, and the latter, female figures engaged in collecting crocuses which they offer to a seated goddess, flanked by a blue monkey and a griffin. Judging from the architectural peculiarities of the building and the themes of the frescoes, one may conclude that Xeste 3 was used for the performance of some kind of ritual.
Stop 3 - The Xeste 4 Bulding
Unfortunately, for now, the path goes this far within the city. Turn around leaving the path behind you and move across to your left where you will find the main route of the archaeological site. After you have crossed the last one of the big informational panels on the wall to your right stop and look to your left at the main street filled with ruins, Xeste 4 is the one standing on the right side of the city below.This is a monumental building, at least three stories high, the largest of those discovered so far. Its built-up area was 367 m2 and the total area of all floors was as much as 957 m2. The façade of the building was made of white and green tuff (tuff–porous, soft rock consisting of at least 75% volcanic ash, used as building material in ancient times). On the walls of the staircase were frescoes depicting life-sized men walking up the stairs in a procession, carrying various objects. Most likely this building was intended for public use. This is evidenced by its size, the wide entrance doors, and the “polythyron” – rows of double doors that reach the ceiling, placed next to each other in such a way that opening them gives one large room.
Stop 4 - The North House of Building Complex Delta
Having Xeste 4 on your left hand, proceed to the main route. Take the big turn left. Cross the first viewing balcony on your left and continue along the main route till you reach the Cenotaph Square. Take a look to your left for the numbered columns. The square is ahead of you. Proceed a few steps further to your right towards the end of the metal railing. Look at the prehistoric building on your left. You will recognize it from the entrance stairway that is cracked in the middle.Complex Delta includes four houses. A room of the eastern building is decorated with the Spring fresco: the artist represented with special sensitivity a rocky landscape, planted with blossoming lilies, between which swallows fly in a variety of positions. Tablets of the Linear A script have recently been found in the same building. All four buildings yielded interesting finds such as abundant imported pottery and precious stone and bronze objects.
Stop 5 - The House of the Ladies
Follow the main route and turn left. You are moving round sector A. You can pause for a moment at the viewing balcony from where you can take your selfie. Continue walking till you reach the railed stairs going down to the city on your left. Pass by the stairs and look straight at the building with the many openings in front of you. Welcome to the House of the Ladies. It is named like this after the stunning fresco with the Ladies and the Papyruses, which decorated the interior. It used to be a three-story building with at least ten rooms on each level and a light well, constructed at its centre.At this point, we should have in mind that somewhere between 1620 and 1530 BC, the huge volcano Thera erupted, setting off a 100-metre-high tsunami that battered the coastline of Crete and reached as far as Egypt. The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events ever recorded on Earth, creating a four-mile-wide caldera and sending up an ash cloud 20 miles high.By the time the eruption had finished, Akrotiri had been buried beneath a 200-foot layer of ash and debris, and the shape of Santorini had been changed for good. The island was covered with a layer of hot lava and piles of ash and was left abandoned for centuries.This volcanic eruption, disastrous for the residents, was ironically the guardian angel for the Akrotiri frescoes.They were encapsulated, kept safe from wear and tear, buried beneath layers of volcanic ash which wasn’t discovered until the 1960s.In a strange twist of fate, the eruption that decimated Akrotiri was the same force that preserved these treasures, allowing us, thousands of years later, to marvel at their intricacy and understand the world they hailed from.These ancient wall paintings depict scenes of daily life, religious rituals, and nature, serving as a vibrant testament to Minoan life, narrating stories that have transcended millennia.The technique of their creation, however, differs from the typical way a fresco is made. This is because fresco painting at Akrotiri began when the plaster was wet but was finished on an already dry surface. The pigments used for painting were derived from minerals, which contributed to the durability of the work.Look closely at the details, and let your imagination transport you back to a time when these walls were freshly painted, telling the stories of a thriving society.
Stop 6 - The West House
After passing the next staircase on your left going down the city, walk a few steps and stand next to the column. Look down to the house with the big stoned walls and windows. This is the West House, one of the well-preserved structures at Akrotiri. Imagine walking through these narrow streets, bustling with life in the Bronze Age. The West House reveals a glimpse into the daily lives of the inhabitants, showcasing domestic artifacts, pottery, and well-preserved rooms.The West House is a large wealthy home facing an open space in the city known as Triangle Square. The house is a three-story home and free-standing building. There were 16 rooms in the house with 8 on the ground floor, 7 on the upper floor and one room on the very top floor. At the entrance of the house, you will meet a small lobby area with a door to the left for ground floor access and a second door providing access to the staircases. This is a typical entrance in Akrotiri homes.The rooms were small, unlit rooms that ranged in size and ceiling height due to the unleveled ground. They were arranged in a way that there was only one way of traffic, for example, if you wanted to reach the kitchen in the back then you would have to walk through multiple rooms before arriving in the kitchen.It is believed these were working and storage quarters since they found various tools including grinding mills, basins and silver molding tools.It is believed that food was prepared downstairs in the back of the house and then taken upstairs using these service stairs.
Stop 7 - The Myth of Atlantis
Before saying goodbye, you cannot miss hearing about one of the most popular myths in the world: the mystery of the lost Atlantis and the connection with the island of Santorini. No one could ever prove Atlantis truly existed. Some support that the catastrophe of the Minoan civilization and Ancient Thera (Santorini) are strongly connected with the lost Atlantis, but limited evidence has been presented to support that theory.The first written source for the myth of Atlantis originates from the Athenian philosopher Plato (427- 437 BC). He stated that the people of Atlantis lived peacefully on a prosperous island beyond the Pillars of Hercules (today's narrow passages of Gibraltar), so it is assumed that Atlantis was probably located somewhere between Europe and America, maybe in the Atlantic Ocean. However, it is doubted that such an advanced civilization, like the one described by Plato, ever existed back in the past as it is mentioned.The story of Atlantis was conveyed to Solon by Egyptian priests on one of his trips to Egypt, as says, Plato. Among the impressive things that Solon heard from the priest was that the Atlantians originally had divine powers but gradually lost them. After they were left only with human powers, they decided to go against other prosperous islands. They traveled around the Mediterranean and conquered many places until they were defeated by the Athenians. Eventually, the anger of the gods for the arrogance of the Atlantians lead to their punishment. The Olympians obliterated Atlantis in one night, leaving only masses of mud behind.As historians have noticed, the Minoan settlement of Akrotiri, discovered on the island of Santorini, was a developed settlement that was destroyed around 1,500 BC due to the strong eruption of the Santorini volcano. The intensity of this volcanic eruption was so powerful that the tsunami waves in the Aegean Sea reached and destroyed the Minoan settlements of northern Crete. Plato's description of the destruction of the mythological Atlantis has many common points with the story of the Minoan Akrotiri, which also disappeared without leaving any trace.Akrotiri, which was covered by the volcanic ashes of Santorini, means that the island could be the lost Atlantis that vanished in one night. Moreover, archaeologists point out the fact that Ancient Thera (Santorini) had a flourishing economy, and the Minoans were great seafarers who carried out trade and commerce with other Mediterranean countries.Scientists have today concluded that the mystery of Atlantis island is just a myth with countless unanswerable questions. Therefore, it is possible that Atlantis never existed. However, this myth has raised many arguments and has inspired much talking on this myth.
Stop 8 - The End
Our journey is now coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed your time with me! Spend your time wandering a little more around this magnificent archaeological site. If you are up for even more sightseeing, visit our website www.keytours.gr, choose from plenty of guided tours covering great sites of Greek history, and with the promo code KEYAUDIO, save 10% off your bookings. Goodbye!
