Ruins of Akrotiri
November 19, 2003
Provided and copyright by: Len Sharp, Liverpool HS-Annex
Summary author: Len Sharp
In the summer of 1997, I was a member of an Earthwatch team to locate and map the Late Bronze Age (LBA), which is a time marker that clearly dates the cataclysmic eruption of Santorini in 1628 B.C. The city of Akrotiri was buried beneath at least 82 feet (25 m) of pumice in a relatively small amount of time. Unlike Pompeii, some 1,700 years later, Akrotiri's population took the strong precursor earthquakes seriously and evacuated the city, thus no skeletal remains have been found. In addition, the absence of valuable jewelry indicates an orderly exit of the island. The Greek government has been slowly removing the overlying pumice to reveal this archeological treasure, and as one can observe in the photograph, a large canopy has been built over the ruins for their protection since the rediscovering of Akrotiri in 1979. Akrotiri is a magnificent testament to the impact of nature upon humankind.
Related Links:
- The Ancient Buried City of Akrotiri
- Santorini Eruption ~1630 BC
- Akrotiri – Excavations of an Ancient City in Santorini in Greece
- Santorini
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