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| model of Acrotiri |
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| Krakatoa Explosion 1883 |
A
must see on a visit to Santorini is the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in the city of Fira.
The artifacts on display there are from archeological digs on the
island, many, if not most, of them are from the dig at Acrotiri on
the southern shore of Santorini. The pieces we saw dated from around
3000 BCE to the 17th
Century BCE and the catastrophic eruption of the Thera volcano that
destroyed Acrotiri and devastated communities on nearby islands and
on the coast of Minoan Crete from tsunamis generated by the explosion.
This “Minoan Eruption” (between 1642-1540 BCE ) was “one of the
largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history”. [Wikipedia]
The
volcano ejected up to four times as much as the well-recorded
eruption of Krakatoa, Indonesia in
1883.
[Wikipedia]
The Krakatoa
explosion, 13,000 times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on
Hiroshima, destroyed 2/3 of the island and killed at least 36,000
people mostly from tsunamis caused by the explosion. [Wikipedia]
Multiply Krakatoa by 4 and it gives you an idea of the magnitude of
the Theran event. At any rate, the Minoan Eruption brought an end to
Acrotiri and marks the upper limit of the artifacts found there.
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| Museum of Prehistoric Thera |
I
will simply list some of my favorite pieces and a short description
of them and their dates. They will show an ancient civilization quite
advanced in technological and artistic achievement.
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EARLIEST C. 3300-2300 BC
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| Marble beaker and figurines c. 3300/3200-2800 BC |
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| Bronze dagger c.2700-2400/2300 BC |
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| Linear A script incised on tablets c. 2500-1450 BC |
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| Collared jar and jugs c. 2200-2000 BC |
18th CENTURY BC
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| Nippled ewers late 18th Century BC |
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| Cup late 18th Century BC |
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17th CENTURY BC
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| Plaster cast of carved wooden table 17th Century BC |
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| Stone, bronze, obsidian, flint tools 17th Century BC |
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| Stone and clay lamps 17th Century BC |
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| Bronze baking pans 17th Century BC |
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| Bronze one-handled open vessels (frying pans?) 17th Century BC |
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| Clay portable oven 17th Century BC |
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| Firedogs with zoomorphic finials 17th Century BC |
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| Nippled ewer 17th Century BC |
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| Bronze scale pans 17th Century BC |
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| Wall paining of a fisherman 17th Century BC |
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| Bath tub 17th Century BC |
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| Exquisite wall painting of monkeys (resembles an avant garde modern art design) 17th Century BC |
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| Gold figurine "Excavation of the find-spot is still in progress and it is therefore to early to draw conclusions about the figurine's significance." |
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