Santorini History
The legend of Atlantis has been presented to us by Plato and seems to be half history half imagination. Very often the destruction of Thera is identified with the sinking of mythical Atlantis. The real fact of the submergence of Santorini island or other Islands in Aegean Sea during an eruption of the volcano, together with the imagination or wish for a Perfect City may explain the legend. According to the legend, which Plato presented in his dialogues Timaios and Kritias, Atlantis was an extensive insular continent whose inhabitants had developed an exceptionally high standard of civilization. The unique power of the kings of Atlantis was not only confined to their own continent but extended to the surrounding islands and controlled part of Libya, as far as Egypt, as well as part of Europe. Since the days of Plato to the present day many attempts have been made to interpret the myth or even to rediscover Atlantis. Thousands of studies and articles have been written on this subject. The fact is that Plato, through the myth, presented to his fellow-citizens a paradigm of an ideally organized state which flowered and prospered for as long as men respected and enforced the laws and worshipped the gods who had given them the legislation. However, when the men became arrogant and ceased to obey the laws of their state the wrath of the gods was such that they were condemned to annihilation. Nevertheless, Atlantis can be more than true, at least within our imagination. It is believed that Atlantis was very close to Santorini island. The volcano first manifested itself about 80.000 years or so ago. This first eruption was terrific. Apart from the ash, the crater expelled other, heavier substances, which covered the surface of the sea and joined with the exciting islets to form an approximately circular island with a diameter of 14 to 15 kilometres. About 3.000 B.C the island was inhabited by people who called it Strongyle (that means "round"). The volcano erupted for a second time, equally destructively, at 1450 B.C wiping out all the life on the Island and sanking the greater part of Strongyle beneath the waves.
All that was left above the surface of the sea were segments of its perimeter which today are called Santorini island, Thirasia, and Aspronisi. One of the greatest and most cosmopolitan harbours of the Mediterranean during the first half of the second millennium, Akrotiri was berried under a thick mantle of ash when the volcano erupted in about 1.600 BC. The island was inhabited at around 3200 B.C. when Cretans showed up. The influence of the Minoan culture on the island was obvious when excavations started on Akrotiri and found a whole village with houses decorated with wall paintings similar to those found in the Minoan palace in Crete. But in 1500 B.C. happened something that completely changed the story of the ancient world. It was the explosion of the volcano which was in the centre of the island and the greater part sunk.
The tidal wave which was caused by the explosion of 100m high destroyed the palace of Knossos and did a lot of damage at the north coast of Crete. The Venetians arrived on Thyra (Santorini island) in 1204. It was a time when the conflict between the dukes of Naxos and the dukes of Santorini island begun as well as the efforts of the inhabitants to free the island. In 1296 the Byzantine Likarios liberated Santorini island along with the islands of Amorgos, Seriphos, Kea, Ios, Siphnos and Pholegandros. However the freedom was very short and before the year was out the Barozzis had returned to Santorini island. In 1579 Santorini island fell into the hands of the Turks. During that period everything was peaceful. The inhabitants occupied themselves with trade and made their own naval fleet. In 1821 the Greek War of Independence began. Santorini island was liberated and in 1830 it was incorporated in the free Greek State along with the rest of the Cyclades. Today it is an island that can be described as a paradise for tourists and archaeologists.