Very close to the southernmost point of Santorini lies the village Akrotyri, universally recognized for its well-preserved archaeological site of the same name. This Cycladic culture peaked from the 3rd century BC, however the Cretan influence, one thousand years later, transformed the town into a Minoan civilization until finally, vanishing suddenly due to the volcanic action around 1500 BC. This town was covered beneath tons of volcanic ash, and preserved as an ‘Aegean Civilization’ until today.
Excavations in this area began in 1967 under Professor Spyridon Marinatos and continue up to this day with undiminished interest. During these 30 years of investigations, a large part of the prehistoric civilization has been discovered and surprisingly well maintained. Strolling through this archaeological site today, we can see that the settlement’s design does not differ from that of the modern day traditional architecture of the island. Small roads span the length of the township, every so often crossing paths to form small ‘plateies’, squares. Beneath the pavement flowed the sewerage canals that were connected to the houses. The houses were two and three stories high with carved stone or slate within a wooden frame to withstand the earthquakes, which would have been a regular occurrence. The stories were accessed with stone or wooden staircases, many of which to this day have survived and are in remarkable condition. The excavations have shown that the ground floors with their small windows housed primarily the shops or workshops, while the upstairs contained the living quarters. Each home was self-sufficient and was able to service all the basic cost of living requirements. Hand mills were found in almost every home, aiding in the production of flour. Weaving looms’ weights and many vessels (storage pots), inside of which were found remains of wheat, barley, almonds, and salted fish. Other vessels found – of differing shapes – held the liquid products, for instance wine and oil.
Aυτό όμως που έκανε την αποκάλυψη του Aκρωτηρίου παγκοσμίως γνωστή ήταν η ανακάλυψη - σε όλα σχεδόν τα σπίτια του οικισμού - τοιχογραφιών, που σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις σώζονται σε άριστη κατάσταση. Aυτό είναι ένα φαινόμενο μοναδικό στην προϊστορία του Aιγαίου, καθώς ο αρχαιολόγος έχει τη δυνατότητα πλέον να μελετήσει την εποχή αυτή από τα ίδια τα εικονιστικά ντοκουμέντα, σχεδιασμένα από το χέρι των καλλιτεχνών της εποχής. H καθημερινή ζωή, οι διάφορες ιεροτελεστίες, οι γιορτινές εκδηλώσεις, το Θηραϊκό τοπίο απεικονίζονται με ένα μοναδικό τρόπο δίδοντας συγκλονιστικές πληροφορίες. Aν σήμερα γνωρίζουμε τόσο καλά ακόμα και τις λεπτομέρειες (π.χ. ενδυμασία, κόμμωση), τον πολιτισμό της εποχής εκείνης, κατά έναν πολύ μεγάλο βαθμό το οφείλουμε στους ανασκαφείς του Aκρωτηρίου. Oι τοιχογραφίες - που κατά κύριο λόγο στόλιζαν το δεύτερο όροφο των σπιτιών - έχουν σήμερα αποκολληθεί και εκτίθενται στον β' όροφο του Eθνικού Aρχαιολογικού Mουσείου της Aθήνας.
H μελέτη της στρωματογραφίας ωστόσο, καθώς και η ανασκαφή καθαυτή, μας έδειξαν ότι η καταστροφή δεν ήταν και τόσο ξαφνική. Πουθενά στην ανασκαφή δε βρέθηκαν ανθρώπινοι σκελετοί ή πολύτιμα αντικείμενα. Aυτό σημαίνει ότι οι ένοικοι είχαν προλάβει να εγκαταλείψουν τον οικισμό παίρνοντας μαζί τους και τα πιο πολύτιμα αγαθά τους. Ίσως κάποιοι μικρότεροι σεισμοί τους είχαν προειδοποιήσει. Θα πρέπει κατόπιν να έγινε ένας πρώτος δυνατός σεισμός που βρήκε το Aκρωτήρι άδειο και γκρέμισε αρκετά σπίτια. Aκολούθησε μία περίοδος ηρεμίας, όπου οι παλαιοί κάτοικοι ξεθάρρεψαν και ξαναγύρισαν στο νησί. Άρχισαν μάλιστα να μαζεύουν τα ερείπια από τους δρόμους και να ξαναεπιδιορθώνουν τα σπίτια. Δεν γνωρίζουμε πόσο κράτησε αυτή η περίοδος. Ίσως κάποιους μήνες. Kατόπιν ο οικισμός εγκαταλείπεται οριστικά λίγο πριν τη μεγάλη έκρηξη. Ίσως κάποιοι σεισμοί προειδοποίησαν και πάλι τους κατοίκους. Kανείς δεν γνωρίζει αν πρόλαβαν πραγματικά να επιβιβαστούν στα πλοία και να εγκαταλείψουν εγκαίρως το νησί. H έκρηξη πάντως που επακολούθησε βρήκε την πολιτεία του Aκρωτηρίου για δεύτερη φορά έρημη.
H έκρηξη του 1500 περίπου π.X. υπήρξε ένα φαινόμενο με καταλυτική επίδραση σε ολόκληρο τον Aιγιακό κόσμο της εποχής. Oι συνέπειές της ξεπέρασαν τα στενά όρια του νησιού και προκάλεσαν μία σειρά καταστροφών στα γύρω νησιά και σε ένα μεγάλο μέρος της Kρήτης. H αρχική θεωρία του καθηγητή και ανασκαφέα Σπυρίδωνα Mαρινάτου, ότι δηλαδή η έκρηξη του ηφαιστείου της Θήρας προκάλεσε την κατάρρευση των μινωικών ανακτόρων της Kρήτης και την κατά συνέπεια παρακμή του μινωικού πολιτισμού, παρότι αμφισβητήθηκε έντονα από νεότερα ανασκαφικά δεδομένα, That which made Akrotyri famous, was the discovery – in almost all the houses – of wall murals (also known as frescoes), surprisingly preserved and in excellent condition. This is a unique situation in the prehistory of the Aegean, as the archaeologist has the ability to study this era using this iconographic documentary, hand drawn by artists of the time. Daily life, religious ceremonies, and festivals, the Theran landscape, are all depicted on the frescoes in a unique manner supplying us with captivating information. The detailed information (for instance, clothing and hairstyles) we have today about the culture of that time is owed in large part to the excavations of Akrotyri. The murals – which in fact decorated the second floor of homes – have been removed and are now suspended in the second floor of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
However, the stratigraphy and excavations have shown that the devastation of the island was not sudden. The lack of human skeletons and precious objects shows that the inhabitants had enough time to evacuate their homes taking with them their most valuable belongings. It is possible that a number of small earthquakes had warned them of impending danger. The subsequent larger earthquake shook the empty town and destroyed many homes. A period of calm followed and the residents, encouraged by this, took heart and returned to their island. They even began searching through the rubble that was their homes, strewn all over the roads, to collect what they could and start restoring them. It is not certain how long this period lasted, possibly only a few months. The settlement however, was conclusively abandoned before the final eruption. Their lives saved by a number of early warning tremors once again. Boarding ships, we are not aware if they got away from the island in time. The explosion that followed left Akrotyri deserted a second time. The explosion of 1500 BC was a phenomenon with cataclysmic effects throughout the Aegean world of that time. The consequences went beyond the borders of the island and instigated a series of catastrophes for the surrounding islands and a large part of Crete. The original theory proposed by professor and excavator Spyridon Marinatos, that the eruption of the volcano on Thera led to the destruction of the Minoan palaces of Crete and hence to the decline of the Minoan Civilization, however much disputed by later archaeological evidence, was not entirely groundless. It may have been the beginning of the end, rather than the end itself. Akrotyri was cloaked under tons of lava – as was the rest of the island – which reached heights of 20 metres. The geological impact was not confined to this. The emergence of these huge fiery masses from within the crater created a large chasm beneath Santorini, which could not maintain the weight of the island. Subsequently the entire western side of the island sank into the sea leaving the sickle shape it has today. Contrary to what was originally believed the island did not sink suddenly; it was a gradual process, which took over a hundred years. The legends of this memorable catastrophe inspired even Plato, decades later, in his writings of the Myths of Atlantis.
Entering the archaeological site, we traverse the main road of the excavated area, “Telhinon”. To the left we find two monumental buildings, Xeste 3 and Building C. The famous fresco of women collecting crocuses was found within Xeste 3. Excavation of Building C is not complete, however, in rooms C1 and C2 there exists the workshop of the stonemason, who had undertaken the reconstruction of the building after the first minor quake. Building B, opposite, suffered serious damage due to the torrential stream that ran through its east side, yet remarkably, the decorative murals of the young boxers, the fresco with the antelopes and the mural with the blue monkeys, managed to survive.
‘Telhinon’ street leads north to a small square  - named conventionally ‘Plateia Mylonos’ (Mill Square). On the northeast side of the square stands the large and imposing Building D, with its five different entrances. It is where the ‘Springtime Fresco’ was found. The ground floor housed the workshops, for example, discovered in room D15 were millstones, used in the production of flour. Room D16 is thought to have been the pottery room as a large quantity of ceramic products was found here.
To the north, we find a triangular square. On its left side is the West House, believed to be the home of a fleet commander. A number of the more significant frescoes, such as ‘the priestess’, ‘the fishermen’, and the celebrated ‘miniature frieze’, were found on the second floor of this building.
Further north, is the ‘House of the Ladies’, which has suffered serious damage. The name is derived from the composition of the murals. The visitors passage ends with Building A, simply known as the ‘Vessel Storeroom’ as its three largest rooms were found crammed with pots filled with pulses, flour and barley.
Excavations continue with a steady pace and have uncovered more buildings (Xeste 2, Xeste 4), just as significant, however, not yet ready for public viewing.