Akrotiri (prehistoric city)

Akrotiri
Excavation of Akrotiri in 2018
Akrotiri (prehistoric city) is located in Greece
Akrotiri (prehistoric city)
Shown within Greece
LocationSantorini, Greece
RegionAegean sea
Coordinates36°21′05″N 25°24′13″E / 36.35139°N 25.40361°E / 36.35139; 25.40361
TypeSettlement
History
Foundedc. 5000–4001 BCE
Abandoned16th century BCE
CulturesCycladic
EventsTheran eruption
Site notes
Excavation datessince 1967
ConditionRuins
Model of the excavations.
A view down onto Triangle Square in front of the West House in Akrotiri, Greece. Taken on 16 May 2001, 4 years before the 23 September 2005 roof collapse.[1]
Layout map of Akrotiri in the Bronze Age.
Pumice, here: northern shelving coast. Eruption of 165 ka buried it all.

Akrotiri (Greek: Ακρωτήρι, pronounced Greek: [akroˈtiri]) is the site of a Cycladic Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini (Thera). The name comes from the nearby village of Akrotiri.

The settlement was destroyed in the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BCE[2] and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and artworks. Akrotiri has been excavated since 1967 after earlier excavations on Santorini.

  1. ^
    • "Disaster on Santorini". Kathimerini. 24 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-10-04. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Greek archaeological site roof collapses". Times of Malta. 24 September 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Body of tourist found after roof collapse". Irish Examiner. 24 September 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Man dies in Greece ruin cave-in". news.bbc.co.uk. 26 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "About Akrotiri accident". Greeka: Travel Agency for Greece since 1999. October 18, 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Akrotiri roof was 'overloaded'". Kathimerini. 12 January 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Roof of Akrotiri will soon be replaced". Greeka: Travel Agency for Greece since 19. November 23, 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Trial for fatal Santorini roof collapse to begin next week". Kathimerini. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • "Greece reopens Bronze Age site on Santorini island". Reuters. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
    • Hawdon-Earl, Sarah; Tsavdaridis, Konstantinos Daniel (1 December 2018). "Form Finding and Dimensioning of Reinfornced Concrete Shell Roof for Akrotiri (Santorini)". Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures. 59 (4): 276–285. doi:10.20898/j.iass.2018.198.014. S2CID 135440335. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  2. ^ Pearson, Charlotte; Brewer, Peter; Brown, David; Heaton, Timothy; Hodgkins, Gregory; Jull, Timothy; Lange, Todd; Salzer, Matthew (2018). "Annual radiocarbon record indicates 16th century BCE date for the Thera eruption". Science Advances. 4 (8): eaar8241. Bibcode:2018SciA....4.8241P. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aar8241. PMC 6093623. PMID 30116779.