Akrotiri (Santorini)

:"See also Akrotiri (disambiguation)."Akrotiri is the name of an excavation site of an Bronze Age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini, associated with the Minoan civilization due to close similarities in artifact and fresco styles. 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 17th century BC, [Floyd W. McCoy and Grant Heiken, "Volcanic Hazards and Disasters in Human Antiquity", 2000] and as a result is remarkably well-preserved. Frescoes, pottery, furniture, advanced drainage systems and three-storey buildings have been discovered at the site. [ [http://themodernantiquarian.com/site/10846/akrotiri.html#fieldnotes C. Michael Hogan, "Akrotiri", The Modern Antiquarian] ] An ambitious modern roof structure, meant to protect the site, collapsed just prior to its completion in 2005, killing one visitor. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/25/news/travel26.php "Canopy collapse kills visitor to Santorini", International Herald Tribune, Sept. 2005] ] 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.

References

Gallery of Akrotiri frescos from various museums

Gallery of museum objects on Santorini

Most of the images here have been color corrected by the "Picture Workshop" of the German Wikipedia [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Bilderwerkstatt] . 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.

* [http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2410 Official website of the archaeological site]
* [http://www.cord.edu/faculty/andersod/may11.html A visitor's account]
* [http://gogreece.about.com/library/weekly/aa08119b.htm Akrotiri - Santorini's Mystery]
* [http://www.travel-to-santorini.com/place.php?place_id=40 The archaeological site of Akrotiri]
* [http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100003_24/09/2005_61129 Greek news report on 2005 roof collapse]