The oldest fragments of ceramics found on the island indicate that the founding of Akrotiri took place at least in the middle of the fourth millennium BC. Below the remains of the late Minoan city we see today lie traces of both the Messo-Cycladic settlement on which it was built and the earlier Proto Cycladic period.

Akrotiri had a civilization of a very high level, particularly remarkable in the fields of ship- ping and the movement of goods. The influence of Minoan Crete was strong, so much so that the civilization of the island can be seen as a cross between the old cultural tradition of the Cyclades and the innovations of Minoan Crete. The people of Thira were in regular communication with other peoples and places, as the archaeological finds bear witness. They brought obsidian from Milos, gypsum and porphyry from the shores of Syria and Palestine, copper and wine from Cyprus. Although the terrible Santorini volcano eruption of 1600 BC buried Akrotiri under a sea of lava, it did however spare the city's wall paintings.

These early masterpieces of European monumental painting have made a vital contribution to our knowledge of the prehistory of the Aegean, and indeed of Europe. The best introduction to the culture of Akrotiri and all its unique facets, even more illuminating than a walk through the prehistoric settlement itself, is a visit to the superb Museum of Prehistoric Thira.

Our journey into the past continues with a visit to the actual site of the city of Akrotiri. Although work is in progress at the site to build the new bio-climatic shelter to protect the remains (it is expected that it will be completed in 2-3 years) the sensations the place inspires are still unique. Even without their wall paintings, the two and three-story houses and the public buildings of hewn stone are impressive. In the second public building you can see the only surviving interior stone stairway (most of the buildings had wooden stairs, which have not survived).  

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