... how old are the findings in Akrotiri Excavations? |
|
|
|
Evidence of habitation at Akrotiri
first came to light in the second half of the 19th century. However,
systematic excavations were begun much later, in 1967, by Professor
Spyridon Marinatos under the auspices of the Archaeological Society at
Athens. He decided to excavate at Akrotiri in the hope of verifying an
old theory of his, published in the 1930's, that the eruption of the
Thera volcano was responsible for the collapse of the Minoan
civilization. Since his death in 1974, the excavations have been
continued under the direction of Professor Christos Doumas.
No interventions are made on the uncovered monuments
unless it is necessary for their consolidation or for the preservation
of any kind of evidence, mostly information concerning the destruction
of the settlement.
The first habitation at the site dates from the Late Neolithic times
(at least the 4th millenium B.C.). During the Early Bronze Age (3rd
millenium B.C.), a sizeable settlement was founded and in the Middle
and early Late Bronze Age (ca. 20th-17th centuries B.C.) it was
extended and gradually developed into one of the main urban centres and
ports of the Aegean. The large extent of the settlement (ca. 20
hectares), the elaborate drainage system, the sophisticated
multi-storeyed buildings with the magnificent wall-paintings, furniture
and vessels, show its great development and prosperity. The various
imported objects found in the buildings indicate the wide network of
its external relations. Akrotiri was in contact with Crete but also
communicated with the Greek Mainland, the Dodecanese, Cyprus, Syria and
Egypt.
The town's life came to an abrupt end in the last quarter of the
17th century B.C. when the inhabitants were obliged to abandon it as a
result of severe earthquakes. The erruption followed. The volcanic
materials covered the entire island and the town itself. These
materials, however, have protected up to date the buildings and their
contents, just like in Pompei. So far, no human body
has been found killed by the eruption. It seems that they had
been warned in time to evacuate the island. |
|
-
During the 7th Thessaloniki International Wine Competition (5-7 March 2007) in the framework of DETROP-OINOS exhibition, Santorini Wines received 13 awards.
Among 683 samples from Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, France, Austria, Brasil, Mexico, and Canada wine experts have given:
Grand Gold Award to
Vinsanto 4 years aged,1999 vintage by Santowines
-
Magazine "Archaeometry", www.nature.com and BioEd Online articles are reporting that the roof paintings of a 2-level building in prehistoric Akrotiri site, have an extreem interest about the mathematical knowledge during the Bronze Age.
|