History & Volcanology

Santorini, as we know it today, is the result of one of the most massive natural disasters in human history. Before the great eruption, Santorini was a round, mountainous island called Strongyli (the Round) — a thriving trade center of the Minoan civilization with the prosperous city of Akrotiri on the southern coast.

The Minoan Eruption (ca. 1600 BC)

Then came the catastrophe. The Minoan eruption (also known as the Thera eruption) was one of the strongest volcanic eruptions of the last 10,000 years — classified as VEI 7 (Volcanic Explosivity Index), comparable to the Tambora eruption of 1815, which caused the "Year Without a Summer." The eruption occurred in four phases:

1. Phase 1: Pumice rain — a cloud of pumice and ash shot up to 36 km into the stratosphere and covered the island with up to 5 meters of pumice.
2. Phase 2: Pyroclastic flows — glowing avalanches of gas, ash, and rock raced down the slopes and over the sea at up to 200 km/h.
3. Phase 3: The collapse — the emptied magma chamber collapsed, and the center of the island caved in. The sea rushed into the crater, generating massive tsunamis that rolled as far as Crete, Egypt, and possibly the Greek mainland.
4. Phase 4: What remained was the present-day crescent-shaped island — the rim of the collapsed volcano, the caldera.

The consequences were global: The ash rain darkened the sky, crop failures followed, and the Minoan civilization on Crete — Europe's first advanced culture — was so weakened that it was soon taken over by the Mycenaeans. The eruption might also have inspired the biblical plagues of Egypt and the myth of Atlantis (as conveyed by Plato) — a lost advanced culture on an island that sank into the sea.

The connection between Santorini and the Atlantis myth has fascinated researchers for decades. Plato's description of a highly developed island civilization that "sank into the sea in a single day and night" matches many details of Minoan Santorini: the circular island, the advanced architecture, the sudden downfall. The theory is scientifically disputed, but the parallels are astonishing.

The Minoan Presence

Akrotiri was not an isolated settlement but a cosmopolitan trade center in the network of the Minoan world. The frescoes show connections to Crete (bull symbols), Egypt (Nile landscapes), and the Middle East (exotic animals). The city had running water, sewage systems, multi-story houses, and art of astonishing vitality — all during the Bronze Age, when Northern Europe was still in the Stone Age.

Antiquity and Middle Ages

After the eruption, the island was uninhabited for centuries. It wasn't until the 9th century BC that Doric Greeks from Sparta arrived and founded the city of Thera on Mesa Vouno (the rock above Perissa) — after which the island is officially named today. Thera was a significant naval base and founded the colony of Cyrene in Libya around 630 BC.

In Byzantine times (from the 4th century), numerous churches and monasteries were built. The name Santorini comes from the Crusaders of the 13th century, who named the island after the church of Santa Irene (Agia Irini). Under Venetian rule (1207–1579), fortress settlements (Kasteli) were built, the remains of which are still visible in Oia, Pyrgos, and Emporio. The Ottomans ruled from 1579 to 1821, after which Santorini became part of Greece.

The earthquake of 1956 (7.7 on the Richter scale) destroyed large parts of the villages of Oia, Fira, and Imerovigli. The population shrank dramatically (from 15,000 to under 6,000), as many emigrated to Athens. It was only the emerging tourism from the 1970s that brought the island back — and transformed it into the luxury destination it is today.