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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 most important buildings of the site are:
Xeste 3: Large edifice, at least two-storeys high, with fourteen rooms on
each floor. Some of rooms were connected by multiple doors and decorated with
magnificent wall-paintings. In one of them there was a "Lustral basin", which is
considered a sacred area. The most interesting of the frescoes are the ones of
the Altar and of the Saffron
Gatherers. The former depicts three women in a field with bloomed crocuses
and an altar, and the latter, female figures engaged in collecting crocuses
which they offer to a seated goddess,
flanked by a blue monkey and a griffin. Judging from the architectural
peculiarities of the building and the themes of the frescoes, one may conclude
that Xeste 3 was used for the performance of some kind of ritual.
Sector B possibly comprises two separate buildings, the one attached to
the other. From the first floor of the western building, came the famous wall paintings of
the Antelopes and the Boxing
Children. The eastern building yielded the “fresco of the Monkeys”, a
composition of monkeys climbing on rocks at the side of a river.
The West House is a relatively small, but well-organized building. In the
ground floor there are storerooms, workshops, a kitchen and a mill-installation.
The first floor is occupied by a spacious chamber used for weaving activities, a
room for the storage mainly of clay vessels, a lavatory and two rooms, the one
next to the other, embellished with magnificent murals. The first was decorated
with the two frescoes of the
Fishermen, the fresco of the Young Priestess and the famous Flotilla miniature
frieze. The latter ran around all the four walls and depicted a major
overseas voyage, in the course of which, the fleet visited several harbours and
towns. The rocky landscape, the configuration of the harbour and the
multi-storeyed buildings identify the port, which is the fleet's final
destination, as the prehistoric settlement at Akrotiri. The walls of the second
room were decorated with a single motif which was repeated eight times. This
motif is identified as the cabin at the stern of the ships depicted in the
miniature frieze.
Complex Delta includes four houses. A room of the eastern building is
decorated with the Spring fresco:
the artist represented with special sensitivity a rocky landscape, planted with
blossoming lilies, between which swallows fly in a variety of positions. Tablets
of the Linear A script have recently been found in the same building. All four
buildings yielded interesting finds such as abundant imported pottery and
precious stone and bronze objects.
House of the Ladies. The large, two-storied building was named after the
fresco with the Ladies and the Papyruses, which decorated the interior. The most
interesting architectural feature of the building is a light-well constructed at
its centre.
Xeste 4. It is a magnificent three-storied building, the largest excavated up to now. All its facades are revetted with rectangular ashlars blocks of tuff. The fragments of frescoes that have so far come to light belong to a composition which adorned the walls on either side of the staircase at the entrance of the building, depicting life-size male figures ascending the steps in procession. It was in all probability a public building, judging from its unusually large dimensions, the impressive exterior and the decoration of the walls.
Finds from the excavations at Akrotiri are exhibited in the Museum of Prehistoric
Thera.
| Address | Akrotiri |
|---|---|
| Prefecture | Thira Island or Santorini |
| District | Cyclades |
| Ephorate | 21st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
| Opening hours Tickets |
Special ticketing package for the Archaeological Museum |
| Telephone | +30-2860-81366 |
