More than 3500 years ago, a Minoan city was flourishing on the island now known as Santorini in the south Aegean Sea. Today, it’s called Akrotiri, but we have no idea what the inhabitants called it themselves. What we do know is that they were very advanced for their time, including building three-story buildings complete with drainage. Then, like the Roman city of Pompeii would be long after, it was buried by a huge volcanic eruption.
Unlike Pompeii, the residents of this city must have known the end was coming. While frescos, furniture, and pottery have been recovered, only a single gold object has been found today, forgotten in its hiding spot underneath a floor. Most tellingly, no skeletons have been found. When Akrotiri was buried, everyone was long gone. The city remained hidden until 1967 when archaeological excavation at the site started.
Today, the excavated portions of the site are protected by a large roof that protects the exposed buildings from the elements as well as gives visitors a respite from the hot Aegean sun. After an accident in 2005, the site was been closed to the public and has only recently reopened in April 2012.
Some believe that this site is the legendary Atlantis first mentioned by Plato over a thousand years later. It’s speculated by some that Plato’s Atlantis was inspired by older stories from Egypt and other ancient civilizations that would have received news of the events that buried this city. Regardless of whether or not this was Atlantis, it certainly was an amazingly advanced civilization that lived here three and a half millennia ago.
Notes:
- Wikipedia has more background information on Akrotiri, the Minoan civilization, the Thera eruption, and Atlantis which goes well beyond the bits and bobs that I remember from being at the site.