Santorini

We arrived at Santorini about 3:00 PM.

Santorini was once a large island, round, and occupied by Cycladic people probably related to the Minoans. In about 1400 B.C. there was massic volcanic eruption--the largest known to have ever occurred, many times more powerful than that of Krakatoa. The crater has an area of 88 km, which would make for quite a spectale if it wasn't for the waters of the Aegean, which must have rushed into the crater in a devastating torrent, sending steam pouring into the air and creating a niose that must have been heard for miles. The explosion buried the city we call Akrotiri in ash, much as Vesuvius would dot o Pompeii and Herculaneum in another 1,479 years or so. (Writing down that number of years between Akrotiri and Pompeii really brings it into perspective, doesn't it? We are as far removed from the fall of Rome as the people of Pompeii were from the Minoans. There's so much we don't know.) The explosion ripped the heart right out of the island and the crater is so big we sailed the ship into it.

From the ship we took "tenders," or little ferry boats, to the island. On the way I could see some amazing geologic formations--I tried to get a picture but the whole thing is just too massive. The city of Akrotiki is slowly being excavated, and they estimate it may take another hundred years to finish. They are very slowly and tediously brushing the ashes away so as not to disturb whatever they might find. Unlike Pompeii, no human or even animal remands have been found, which leads to the theory that the island was evacuated after warning signs from the volcano led the locals to run away. Where they went, of course, is unknown. The guide said the absence of any precious jewelry also indicated an organized escape before the blast. She said they did find some Egyptian imports, and that they believed there was a strong mercantile industry in the area. One building had four looms inside, which led to the theory it was a merchant's home or perhaps a workshop. There are more pots like the ones at Knossos, and the murals were of similar design. There were bulls' horn motifs and a mural of ships travelling back and forth between two lands with people in festive postures looking on.

If I worked here I should find myself digging 24 hours a day until I had uncovered all the secrets of Akrotiri. I asked the guide if there were any known Egyptian texts that mentioned Minoans. She said no but they did mention Northerners. No one is sure who they were referring to.