Ancient Thera, the Classical city of the island is located
on Mesa Vouno, 396 m. above sea level. It was founded in
the 9th century B.C. by Dorian colonists whose leader was
Theras, and continued to be inhabited until the early Byzantine
period.The preserved ruins belong to the Hellenistic and
Roman phases of the city.
The most important monuments of the site are:
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The Sanctuary of Artemidoros, entirely hewn in the rock,
was founded by Artemidoros of Perge. Engraved on the face of the
rock are epigrams and inscriptions, as well as the symbols of
the gods worshipped: an eagle for Zeus, a lion for Apollo, a dolphin
for Poseidon. Also engraved is the portrait of the wreathed Artemidoros,
the founder of the sanctuary. The whole structure is dated to
the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.
The Agora lies almost at the centre of the city. Its southern
part was actually the commercial centre and the middle one was
the administrative centre. The northern part was added in the
Roman period and included a portico, monuments and temple-like
buildings, erected in honor of distinguished persons.
The Royal Stoa (46 x 10 m.) was built in the time of Augustus
. The main entrance is on the east side, towards the Agora and
the roof was supported by an interior Doric colonnade along the
axis of the building. Statues of members of the Ceasar's family
were erected in the north part.
Temple of Dionysos. Small, Doric temple with a small cella
and pronaos, built on an artificial terrace to the north of the
Agora. The facade and roof were made of marble while the rest
of the building was of local stone. Dated to the 3rd century B.C.
(Hellenistic period).
Sanctuaries at the SE edge of the city. The area is occupied
exclusively by sanctuaries, open-air or roofed and the square,
where the Gymnopaediae were held in honor of Apollo Karneios.
Engraved on the rocks are numerous inscriptions dating from the
Archaic to the Roman period, referring to deities and youths.
The Sanctuary of Apollo Karneios, dated to the 6th century
B.C., is partially hewn from the rock and partially built on an
artificial terrace.
Gymnasium of the youths. It lies at the south edge of
the city and dates from the 2nd century A.D. A small cave, partially
hewn from the rock, was dedicated to Hermes and Heracles.
Cemeteries of Ancient Thera. They are located on the slopes
of the Sellada, on either side of the roads that led to the north
and south harbours of the ancient city, the modern villages of
Kamari and Perissa, respectively. The graves uncovered span the
long period between the Geometric and Roman times.
The West House
It is one of the most important prehistoric settlements of the
Aegean.. The various imported objects found in the buildings indicate
the wide network of its external relations. Akrotiri was in contact
with Crete but also communicated with the Greek Mainland, the
Dodecanese, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt. The town's life came to an
abrupt end in the last quarter of the 17th century B.C. when the
inhabitants were obliged to abandon it as a result of severe earthquakes.
The erruption followed. The volcanic materials covered the entire
island and the town itself. These materials, however, have protected
up to date the buildings and their contents, just like in Pompei.
The most important buildings of the site are:
Xeste 3: Large edifice, at least two-storeys high, with
fourteen rooms on each floor. Some of rooms were connected by
multiple doors and decorated with magnificent wall-paintings.
In one of them there was a "Lustral basin", which is
considered a sacred area. The most interesting of the frescoes
are the ones of the
Sector B possibly comprises two separate buildings, the
one attached to the other. From the first floor of the western
building, came the famous wall paintings of the Antelopes and
the Boxing Children. The eastern building yielded the "fresco
of the Monkeys", a composition of monkeys climbing on rocks
at the side of a river.
The West House is a relatively small, but well-organized building.
In the ground floor there are storerooms, workshops, a kitchen
and a mill-installation. The first floor is occupied by a spacious
chamber used for weaving activities, a room for the storage mainly
of clay vessels, a lavatory and two rooms, the one
next to the other, embellished with magnificent murals.
Complex Delta includes four houses. A room of the eastern
building is decorated with the Spring fresco: the artist represented
with special sensitivity a rocky landscape, planted with blossoming
lilies, between which swallows fly in a variety of positions.
House of the Ladies. The large, two-storeyed building
was named after the fresco with the Ladies and the Papyruses,
which decorated the interior. The most interesting architectural
feature of the building is a light-well constructed at its centre.
Attic black-figure kylix
The Museum contains the following collections:
•Sculpture, ranging from the Archaic to the Roman period.
•Inscriptions, ranging from the Archaic to the Roman period.
•Vases and clay figurines, dating from the Geometric to the
Hellenistic periods.
The most important items of the exhibition are:
Theran amphora with geometric decoration. Representative
example of a local workshop, the production of which begins at
the end of the 8th century B.C. and lasts until the 6th century
B.C. It was found at the Archaic cemetery of Ancient Thera and
dates from the beginning of the 7th century B.C.
Amphora from the Archaic cemetery of Ancient Thera. It
is attributed to an island workshop and dates to the beginning
of the 7th century B.C.
Large pithos with relief decoration. A brilliant example of 7th
century B.C. Cycladic art, but also the unique specimen on Thera.
The metope on the neck of the vase is decorated with a swan and
the band on the shoulder shows two chariots drawn by winged horses.
Upper part of an Archaic funerary kouros. It is one of
the earliest known colossal statues, found at the cemetery of
Ancient Thera, on the west slope of Sellada. Dated to the end
of the 7th century B.C.
Torso of an Archaic funerary kouros from the cemetery of Ancient
Thera, on the west slope of Sellada. Dated to the end of the
7th century B.C.
Clay Daedalic figurine covered with painted decoration
of which the colour is still well preserved. Because of the characteristic
movement of the arms towards the head, it is interpreted as a
lamenter. Dated to the end of 7th century B.C.
Attic black-figure amphora. On the front side, Athena and
Heracles are shown riding a quadriga, while in the background
are depicted Apollo playing the lyre, and Artemis. The reverse
side is decorated with two horsemen flanked by an archer and a
hoplite.
Attic black-figure kylix. On the outer surface of the
vase, a chariot battle and a duel between two hoplites are depicted
between scenes of departing warriors. On the interior, six ships
are shown on the lip and Poseidon in the centre, killing the giant
Polybotes. On the base, two horsemen are depicted on either side
of a hoplite.
Attic black-figure volute krater. On the neck are depicted
scenes of battle with chariots, in which godess Athena participates.
The inner surface of the rim is decorated with four ships. From
the Archaic cemetery of Ancient Thera, dated to the second half
of the 6th century B.C.
The Museum of Prehistoric Thera houses finds from the excavations
at Akrtotiri, conducted under the auspices of the Archaeological
Society at Athens, the earlier excavations at Potamos, made by
members of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, and
rescue excavations at various other sites on the island, carried
out by the 21st Ephorate of Antiquities for the Cyclades and Samos,
as well as objects discovered fortuitously or handed over.
The exhibition is structured in four units, referring to the history
of research at Thera, the geology of Thera, the island's history
from the Late Neolithic to the Late Cycladic I periond (early
17th century B.C.) and the heyday of the city at Akrotiri (mature
Late Cycladic I period, 17th century B.C.).
The exhibits include fossils of plants that flourished before
the human habitation of Thera and archaeological objects. Among
the earliest pieces are Neolithic pottery, Early Cycladic marble
figurines, Early Cycladic pottery, including interesting pieces
of the transitional phase from Late Cycladic II to Late Cycladic
III period (Kastri group) from the Christiana islets and Akrotiri
(3300-2000 B.C.) -Middle Cycladic pottery with a series of impressive
bird jugs, many of them decorated with swallows - from Ftellos,
Megalochori and Akrotiri (20th-18th century B.C.), and Early Cycladic
metal artefacts from the last two sites.
Impressive too are the magnificent wall-painting ensembles (wall-painting
of Ladies and Papyri, wall-painting of the Blue Monkeys) and fragments
of others (the "African", Adorant Monkeys, Bird, floral
motifs). Last, there are numerous and luxurious clay vases including
the remarkable pithos with the bull, vases of stone and of clay
imported from different parts of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean,
and the gold ibex figurine, a remarkable recent find.
The exhibition endeavours to sketch the course of Thera in prehistoric
times, through selected finds from the thousands in the storerooms.
This was a dynamic and creative course which established the city
at Akrotiri as one of the most important Aegean centres during
the 18th and 17th centuries B.C.
