ABSTRACT
Thanks to a great volcanic eruption in the Late Minoan IA/Late Cycladic I period, the settlement of Akrotiri on Thera was entirely covered by volcanic ash and thus preserved for posterity. This has given the site the title of the ‘Pompeii of the Aegean’. The site was occupied since the Neolithic. Portable objects and rock-cut chambers are known from the Early Bronze Age. The Middle Bronze Age town was probably already substantial in size with paved streets and a drainage system in place. The inhabitants were fond of Minoan culture and part of the pottery production became Minoanised, although links with the Greek mainland and other Cycladic islands existed too. Minoanisation became ever stronger in the Late Bronze Age. During the Late Bronze Age, Akrotiri was a prosperous harbour town with many large, carefully constructed multi-storey buildings erected along a well-organised street network and connected to a public drainage system. The most famous houses are the West House, House of the Ladies, Sectors Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, and Xestes 2, 3, 4 and 5. Many houses have distinct architectural features, such as the Minoan polythyron and lustral basin. Many contained storerooms and workshops; mill installations are commonly found as are rooms for textile working. Objects inscribed with Linear A – including tablet fragments – attest to some degree of literacy and the use of a writing system for administrative purposes. Lead weights indicate the use of a metric system. Frescoes adorned many walls. The most famous examples are the ‘Fishermen’, ‘Priestess’, ‘miniature frieze’ (with the ‘Flotilla’ scene), ‘Boxing Boys’, and ‘Adorants’, ‘Naked Boys’, ‘Saffron Gatherers’ and ‘Mistress of Animals’.
