- See also Akrotiri (disambiguation).
Akrotiri is the name of an excavation site of a Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini, associated with the Minoan civilization due to inscriptions in Linear A, and close similarities in artifact and fresco styles[1]. The excavation is named for a modern Greek village situated on a hill nearby. The name of the site in antiquity is unknown. It was buried by a volcanic eruption in the middle of the second millennium BC[2] (during the Late Minoan IA period). As a result, it is remarkably well-preserved. Frescoes[3], pottery, furniture, advanced drainage systems and three-storey buildings have been discovered at the site[4], whose excavation was started in 1967 by Spyridon Marinatos.
An ambitious modern roof structure, meant to protect the site, collapsed just prior to its completion in 2005, killing one visitor.[5] No damages were recorded to the antiquities. As a result of this, the site is currently closed to visitors. It was announced in June 2008 that it could remain closed until 2010, at least.
Excavated artifacts have been installed in a museum distant from the site (Museum of Prehistoric Thera), with many objects and artworks presented. Only a single gold object has been found, hidden beneath flooring, and no uninterred human skeletal remains have been found. This indicates that an orderly evacuation was performed with little or no loss of life.
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Gallery of Akrotiri frescos from various museums
 Image of a town |
 Fisherman |
 Decorative rosettes |
 Gathering saffron |
 Blue monkeys |
 Woman with papyrus |
 Boxing youth |
Gallery of museum objects on Santorini
Most of the images here have been color corrected by the Picture Workshop of the German Wikipedia [1]. The yellow light (without the energetic blue wavelengths) used in the museum greatly reduces the fading of colors. Differences in technical approach and guesses at appropriate coloration have led to variations in color rendering.
 An original yellow light image |
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References
- ^ Christos G. Doumas Thera - Pompeii of the Ancient Aegean, London 1983
- ^ Floyd W. McCoy and Grant Heiken, Volcanic Hazards and Disasters in Human Antiquity, 2000
- ^ Christos G. Doumas, The Wall Paintings of Thera, Athens 1991
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, Akrotiri, The Modern Antiquarian
- ^ Canopy collapse kills visitor to Santorini, International Herald Tribune, Sept. 2005
External links
- Official website of the archaeological site
- A visitor's account
- Akrotiri - Santorini's Mystery
- The archaeological site of Akrotiri
- Greek news report on 2005 roof collapse
Coordinates: 36°21′05″N 25°24′13″E / 36.35139°N 25.40361°E
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