Island of Santorini, Greece

Описание: Akrotiri (Greek: Ακρωτήρι, pronounced Greek: [akroˈtiri]) is a Cycladic Bronze Age settlement site on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini. The name comes from the nearby village of Akrotiri.

The settlement was destroyed during the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BC, and was buried in volcanic ash, which helped preserve its fine frescoes. Akrotiri has been excavated since 1967, after earlier excavations on the island.

Santorini, officially Thira[b] or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 125 mi (201 km) southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 28 mi2 (73 km2) and a 2021 census population of 15,480. The municipality of Santorini includes the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia, and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, Anydros, and Christiana. The total land area is 35 mi2 (91 km2). Santorini is part of the Thira regional unit.

Santorini is the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. The volcanic arc is approximately 300 mi (500 km) long and 12 to 25 mi (19 to 40 km) wide. The region first became volcanically active around 3–4 million years ago,[citation needed] though volcanism on Thera began around 2 million years ago with the extrusion of dacitic lavas from vents around Akrotiri. One of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history struck the island about 3,600 years ago, leaving a large water-filled caldera surrounded by deep volcanic ash deposits.