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Santorini, named by early Venetians
in honor of Saint Irene and called Thira by the Greeks, forms a circular
group of islands in the southern Aegean Sea, located midway between
mainland Greece to the west, Turkey to the east, and the island of Crete
to the south. Visitors arriving by boat sail into the flooded
caldera of its volcano to find two dazzling white towns, Fira and Oia,
dramatically perched high above the sea on the caldera rim.
Santorini has a strong claim on the
legend of Atlantis. The geologic record reveals a long history of
volcanic activity. The archeological record indicates that Santorini has
been inhabited by civilizations going back to the 13th century BC.
Archeological excavations have revealed Bronze Age ruins of a particularly
large and vibrant Minoan city with well-preserved frescos and paintings, supported
by trade throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Today, the remains of this
flourishing community lie buried under a thick blanket of pumice generated
by a massive Late Bronze Age eruption that occurred between 1615-1645 BC. |
