Santorini-Akrotiri

For the 4 days we were on Santorini, we had the honor of having Geologist Floyd McCoy as a guest lecturer. After our lectures with Professor McCoy, it was apparent how much the group had fallen in love with him. His enthusiasm towards geology and archaeology was evident, and he was always more than happy to provide curious students with great answers.

On Saturday June 23rd, Professor McCoy took us to the archaeological site of Akrotiri. This is a site that is thrilling to an aspiring archaeologist; it was the most fascinating site I have ever been to. The Bronze Age village of Akrotiri was destroyed by four phases of a volcanic eruption; pumice falling, pyroclastic flows, lightening, and mud flows. The village was preserved by pumice, a volcanic rock that Professor McCoy said had an effect similar to ‘packing peanuts’ used in modern day shipping.

Archaeologists Marinatos and Doumas are the main site excavators, and volcanologists came back to reinterpret the geology of the site in 1991. Akrotiri has been closed to the public and under construction for many years now and has recently reopened. It is now surrounded by carefully engineered walls and a roof that protects it from the elements and keeps it well preserved.

Thankfully many frescos survived the eruption, and by studying them we can learn a lot about Minoan civilization. They depict crocus gatherers, naval battles, river scenes, and what daily life was like. Females are often depicted with fancy hairdos and jewelry.  Residential and commercial buildings are present at the site also. The houses have dirt floors, and many of them had multiple floors. Xestes were built, a building technique using Ashlar masonry.  At one point Floyd discussed the theories archaeologist had about random wood beams placed in some of the walls. He disagrees with the theory that they were for shock resistance, and believes that they were possibly used to nail shelves up.

The site as a whole was extremely overwhelming in such a wonderful way. There is so much to study, and excavation continues to this day.

A.B. 2012