About Santorini-History
Santorini Greece has a highly regarded number of archaeological sites which have proved that the first human presence on the island dates back to the Neolithic Period. Santorini has had the same historical and cultural evolution as the other islands of the Cyclades.
Santorini or Thira is essentially what remains after an gigantic volcanic eruption that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological Caldera. A giant central, rectangular lagoon which is surrounded by high, steep cliffs.
The eruption of the volcano was actually responsible for the sinking of the western part of the island and many claim it’s also responsible for the total destruction of the Minoan civilization due to tidal waves. Some theories support that Thira was the site of the capital of Atlantis the lost civilization.
About Santorini-history, the first human presence on the island is situated back to the Neolithic Period. Santorini hosted an important civilization around 3600 BC. Discoveries made in an important city near Akrotiri and the famous Red Beach show the existence of an ancient Minoan colony.
The city was very similar to those found in the island of Crete, with many wall ornaments and pottery showing naturalistic landscapes of animals and humans of the same ancient Minoan style. In Ancient times, Santorini Island was known as Strongili, which means round in Greek. Strongili was the victim of an enormous volcano eruption in 1,500 BC. The specialists believe that the explosion was so strong that it created gigantic waves that reached the shores of the surrounding islands and Crete.
After the explosion, the centre of Santorini sank, and the many earthquakes that followed destroyed a big part of the rest of the island. Many studies and researches have been presented in our days about the volcano of Santorini, including a series of documentaries in the National Geographic. In some ancient myths, the destruction of the island is closely associated to the legend of Atlantis.
Santorini was formed out of a miracle, based on an ancient Greek myth. The ancient Greeks had invented an imaginary story over the creation of Santorini island, a story that is connected to the Argonaut expedition. They said that Jason and his fellow companions were on their way home, they landed on Anafi, a small island of the Aegean Sea.
There Euphemus saw a dream that he was making love to a nymph, the daughter of the sea god Triton, in particular. After making love, that woman told him that she got pregnant to his child and that her father would become angry if he knew that. That is why she needed a place to hide and give birth to her child. She then told Euphemus to get a clod of earth from Anafi and throw it into the sea. When Euphemus woke up, he decided to take the woman’s advice and when they sailed, he indeed threw a clod of earth onto the open sea. Suddenly, as a miracle, an island emerged to provide a safe place for the pregnant nymph. Euphemus named this island either Calliste, which means the most beautiful, either Strogyli, due to its round shape. The son of Euphemus, who was born there, was named Theras and the island finally got his name, Thera.
See more information about the island of Santorini
To discover every place that worths to see when you visit this unique island, choose a Santorini private tour. For more detailed information on the ideal tour of the island of Santorini you can visit Santorini Historical Tour.
