Akrotiri Archaeology

By Mark Simms on 19/08/2018

Although not the most photogenic place in Santorini, I’ve had to include some images of our visit to the excavation site and museum of Akrotiri because it is without question one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

First discovered in 1967, the site is to Greece what Pompeii and Herculaeum are to Italy (buried and preserved by the cataclysmic volcanic eruption that collapsed the middle of the island and caused the Caldera that Santorin is famous for today). Akrotiri may not be as spectacular as the ruins at Pompeii, and it’s certainly not as well known, but it’s much older…..in fact it’s reputed to be the oldest urban settlement in Europe dating back approximately 3600 years.

What’s even more amazing is that the ruins uncovered so far are only a fraction of the whole site. The problem of course is that archaeological excavation on this scale and of this importance takes decades of painstaking work and huge amounts of money……..something at the moment the Greek governemnet is sadly short of.

© Mark Simms Photography (2018)