AKROTIRI ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Archaeological site preserving the Minoan city of Akrotiri destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
Evidence of the ancient Minoan population that once thrived can be found here. The Minoan city of Akrotiri was largely destroyed by a volcanic eruption and covered with a thick layer of ash around 1500 BC. The impermeable pumice stone gangue provided outstanding protection for the partially cleared ruins (only 10,000 m² of the 200,000 m²) and they have been perfectly preserved. The inhabitants had time to desert the town before the disaster because no skeletons were found, and they would also probably have had time to take their furniture with them. The city appears as it was 3,500 years ago: the two- or three-storey houses decorated with frescoes (impressive, by the way), the streets paved with sewers, the shops filled with baskets that are now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Thira and the National Museum of Athens. Unfortunately, there are no real signs to give you an idea of what daily life in this vast city could have been like. The frescoes, an illustration of the period, have been returned to the Archaeological Museum of Thira.
Allow at least one hour to visit the site. A group ticket is also available for the archaeological site and museum of Thira, the old city of Thira, the prehistoric museum of Thira, the collection of icons and ecclesiastical objects of Pyrgos and the site of Akrotiri (valid for 4 days).
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Members' reviews on AKROTIRI ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Le site est trop en ruines pour s'y attarder longtemps.
La route est belle juste avant l'arrivée,
je conseille de marcher à pied 2 ou 3 km à partir de la sortie.
Les chauffeurs et surtout les vendeurs de billets de bus publics, notamment celui d'Akrotiri et Oia sont absolument odieux avec les touristes, le contrôleur m'a traité comme un chien et ne se gênait pas lui, pour manger son sandwich dans le bus. Ils vivent du tourisme, donc il faudrait savoir ce qu'ils veulent, d'autant que je n'ai pas vu de touristes qui se comportaient mal sur les sites culturels.
Déambulation sur des pontons sous une belle voûte.