Volcanic eruption on the island of Athens. The great Minoan eruption of Santorini. Ancient buildings and excavations

In August 2014, I was lucky enough to visit Greece dear to my heart again, this time one of the main goals of the trip was to visit the island of Santorini and its magnificent landscapes - including the volcano Thira. Our tour operator helped us get to the island of Santorini, who offered one-day excursions to the island of Santorini from the city of Heraklion (Heraklion is considered the capital of Crete, its port center). From the hotel we were taken to the port, on a small cruise boat. Due to the fact that we took a rather expensive tour (120 euros per person), our tour. the operator provided us with comfortable seats in the middle of our liner (it was very seasick on the sides). Many tourists traveled on their own, buying the cheapest deck tickets. While walking on a boat, we met small islands along the way. A few hours later, our eyes began to open wonderful views of the island of Santorini, to which we sailed, its nature of origin is incredibly different from everything that we are used to seeing. The walls of the rocks are completely composed of solidified lava, like the whole island, its roads, its landscapes, it is amazing how plants make their way through these rocks, vineyards and olive trees grow. Then we were organized in an organized tour bus and on the way to the volcano Thira, which is located in the settlement of Fira, they told the story of the origin of the island. Fira is a small tourist town, with narrow streets where crowds of tourists loiter, from one store to another, smoothly moving towards or away from the Volcano. The crowd of people, the heat, the smell of donkeys being the only means of transport in the narrow streets - all this was left behind and not so significant as we approached the splendid views that surround the Thira volcano from all sides. Since the observation deck is located at the top of the island, the landscape is ideal for photographing, one problem is that there are so many people who want to take a photo for memory that they are more likely to fall into the frame than the volcano. You can enjoy the views endlessly, here you can also have a bite to eat - along the entire path leading to the observation deck there are restaurants and cafes on the street, you can enjoy local ice cream based on goat milk (very tasty!), or you can just walk around the shops that sell a lot of local goods, both handmade and food (local wine, nuts, pastries). Prices for tourists, in fact, as elsewhere. Magnets - 2-4 euros apiece, a liter bottle of water 1 euro, homemade bracelets from 5 euros and more, local wine could be taken for 12 euros and more, but it was worth it (they say that the Pope himself orders local wine on Santorini ). Santorini has all the conditions for tourists, full service, it all depends on the amount of your money and the desire to visit this unforgettable place, learn the history of the volcano and the whole island, take amazing photos for memory. You need to come here, not a single photo will convey all the unforgettable beauty of this place.

The name Santorini (also Thira, Fira and Santorini) refers to the island and volcano of the same name, the eruption of which occurred more than 3 thousand years ago and went down in history as the largest in the northern hemisphere.

An earthquake, an explosion and the tsunami that followed led to the decline and subsequent death of the famous Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. According to some hypotheses, this event underlies the legend of the mysterious Atlantis.

The island of Thira is located in the Aegean Sea and is part of the Cyclades archipelago, which belongs to the Greek state. The location coordinates are 36°25′ north latitude and 25°26′ east longitude. Its area is more than 76 sq. km, the maximum height above sea level is 567 m.

Santorini, in fact, is a group of several islands (Thira, Palea Kameni, Nea Kameni and others), which lined up in a ring around a sea depression 400 m deep. The shores of the large island of Thira from the side of the caldera consist of steep slopes reaching a height of 300 m.

External - have a gentle relief and consist of comfortable beaches with exotic black sand and are washed by the warm waters of the Aegean Sea.

There are several ways to get to the island:

Volcano data, topology and hydrology

The island of Thira is located 200 km southeast of the Greek capital Athens and 100 km north of Crete. The name Santorini comes from the Italian word "Saint Irene", which in the Middle Ages meant the name of the patron saint of the island. It refers to a whole group of volcanoes in the middle of the Aegean Sea, which are located in an arc around the land mass.

Santorini is a relatively young volcano in geological terms. This conclusion was made by scientists after conducting studies of the soil and bottom sediments in the caldera, which date back to approximately 100-200 thousand years ago. Volcanic cones began to form after 100 thousand years, as a result of which the foot plunged into the sea.

The volcano has been active since the Pleistocene epoch. As a result of constant eruptions, its dome gradually rose to a height of 1615 m above the sea. Over many hundreds of years, the magma chamber under the base of the island was gradually filled with molten rocks.

Studies of rocks in the central part of the island prove that the explosion occurred when hot magma rising from the bowels and cold water in the reservoir in the center of the island came into contact. The volume of volcanic lava exceeded 16 cubic km, as a result of which the entire southern part of the island was destroyed.

The walls of the cone of the volcano collapsed and collapsed into the sea, and the water quickly filled the resulting pit.

During the explosion, volcanic ash was thrown into the atmosphere, which covered the surface of the earth over an area of ​​200 thousand square kilometers. Due to the high concentration of gases, the air darkened, clouds of ash completely blocked the sunlight. Therefore, darkness fell on Egypt and the countries of the eastern Mediterranean, which lasted for several days until the ashes dissipated.

After the explosion, a caldera formed at the site of the volcano crater - a deep depression into which sea waters poured in a stream. Another consequence of his death was a giant tsunami over 18 m high. The wave hit coastal cities and destroyed settlements on the Mediterranean islands of Crete and Thira.

Santorini is an active volcano, which experts refer to as a shield type. The diameter of its crater is now 7.5-11 thousand m, the height is 365 m. The coordinates of the volcano are 36°24′16″ north latitude. and 25°23′44 E The last eruption took place in 1956.

The reason for the strong volcanic activity is the fact that this place is located at the junction of the African and Eurasian plates, which contributes to the formation of a volcanic relief on the territory and is accompanied by a high risk of eruptions.

Facts from history

The famous volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini happened around 1645-1600. BC. (some scholars give the figure as 1470 BC). In the metropolis of Tyre, the capital and coastal settlements were located on the slopes of the mountains, and below there was a convenient harbor.

The first data of archaeologists about the existence of ancient settlements on Tire appeared in 1866, during the construction of the Suez Canal, the land for which began to be actively exported from the island. Then signs of human buildings were discovered. The excavations were carried out by a French geologist and volcanologist F. Fouquet, who gave them the name Akrotiri (from the Greek word Ακρωτήρι - cape) after the name of the village nearby.

The houses were completely covered with volcanic ash, which contributed to their good preservation. No human remains were found, which suggested that the locals managed to swim away before the volcanic eruption began.

In 1967, the excavations were continued by the Greek archaeologist S. Marinatos, as a result of which 3-story buildings and complex drainage and sewage systems were discovered, as well as furniture, pottery and frescoes. All found artifacts were transferred to the Museum of Prehistoric Thera.

The catastrophe and explosion on Santorini, according to scientists, caused the main events of that time, which were described in the Bible and in the books of the philosopher-historian Plato.

For example:

• the disappearance of the state of Atlantis;
• the death of the Minoan civilization;
• a decrease in the water level in the Red Sea, which served as the basis for the biblical legend about the "parted waters" into which the sons of Israel entered, trying to escape from the Egyptian pharaoh's pursuing troops;
• the onset of darkness on the territory of the coastal states of the Mediterranean Sea - "darkness in Egypt" lasted about 3 days.

The famous Minoan civilization existed on the island of Crete in the 2nd millennium BC. Fertile soil and small harbors along the coast contributed to the prosperity of the human settlements that appeared here. Its inhabitants were seafarers and traded. The Minoan fleet sailed between Sicily, Greece, Egypt, Phoenicia and the states of Asia Minor.

Artisans in Crete produced the most beautiful ceramics and were engaged in stone carving, builders and architects erected chic palaces, which artists painted with beautiful frescoes. The discovery of Minoan cities by archaeologists took place only in 1900, however, legends and myths about King Minos, about a rich country and the Palace of Knossos are told in Homer's Iliad.

The search for the remains of an ancient civilization was started by the English journalist and amateur archaeologist Arthur Evans, who started excavations on the island in 1900. Their result was the discovery of a huge palace with beautiful paintings, ceramics, jewelry and ancient texts.

After the volcanic eruption, all highly developed cities in this region of the Mediterranean fell into decay, most of the fertile land and buildings were covered with volcanic ash or went under water due to the tsunami.

However, this event left intact a large number of fragments of the Minoan culture, which allowed modern archaeologists to get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe life, religion and occupations of people of that time.

Don't miss the most popular article of the rubric:

Climbing the volcanoes of Santorini

The archipelago of the Santorini Islands is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni volcanoes are located on its territory, which appeared as a result of large eruptions in the period 1707-1712 and 1866-1870. They are full-fledged volcanic islands, and their peaks are popular with hikers.

The last eruption occurred in 1956, when the island of Nea Kameni appeared. The height of both volcanoes is only about 150 m, so even children can climb them. Santorini is a volcano that is characterized by increased seismic activity even now. This is expressed in the constant emissions of hot gases from cracks and craters (fumaroles) and the presence of active hydrothermal sources.

Climate and precipitation

Climate and weather in Santorini can be divided into 2 seasons:

• very hot and dry in the summer months (April-November) and arid - within + 20 ... + 36 ° С;
• cold and rainy from the beginning of November to the end of March - rains and clouds usually last for several days, and snow is very rare.

The best time for tourism is the second half of spring and the beginning of autumn, although most travelers come here in the summer.

Flora and fauna

Santorini is a volcano that erupted quite often. This was the reason for the low saturation of the flora - in the 21st century, only about 240 of its species were recorded on the island. The vegetation consists of shrubs, ferns and seed plant species.

Due to the fact that the soil is suitable for growing grapes, the locals have founded many vineyards, where for several centuries they have been successfully harvesting a bountiful harvest.

Most of the wildlife also died as a result of increased volcanic activity. Therefore, the fauna on the island is represented mainly by migratory birds. The symbol of Santorini is the domestic donkey, which for a long time served as the only way to get around the rocky terrain of the island.

Sights of Santorini

Now there are 13 settlements on the island, in which about 15 thousand people live. During the summer months, the population rises sharply due to visiting tourists, and all the beaches are packed with vacationers. They come here to admire the beautiful sunsets, lie on the black healing sand, explore the ancient ruins, visit local restaurants and taste some of the best Greek wines.

The capital of Santorini - the city of Fira (Thira) is located on the caldera side of the island on a cliff 260 m high above the sea, about 1.5 thousand inhabitants live in it. There are many souvenir shops in the city, where jewelry is also presented.

Other settlements of the island:

The island attracts tourists with its beautiful landscapes, romance and beaches. All settlements consist of snow-white houses with azure-blue windows that look very attractive and elegant.

Ancient buildings and excavations

For lovers of antiquity, there are several options for inspection:

Architectural buildings

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Cruises and boat trips

There are several interesting tours for tourists:

• cruise on a boat or yacht along the caldera - the price depends on the level of comfort and the availability of a buffet, duration and is 50-200 €;
• inspection of colorful beaches from the sea - the boat runs along the eastern and southern coasts of Santorini;
• excursion along the crater of an active volcano - carried out on a boat that moored at the old port of Fira, in order to then continue a walking tour for 20-30 minutes to the top, where you can admire the desert landscape and bizarre stone formations.

Winery visits and tastings

The locals boast some of the oldest vineyards in the world. Some old vineyards planted as early as 1200 BC continue to produce with the ancient method. There are 10 wineries on the island, any of which you can visit and try local drinks.

The most interesting of them:

Taste of Santorini

You can try local cuisine and delicacies in a local tavern or restaurant:

• pickled capers harvested from the steep peaks of the caldera, which are prepared for the famous Greek salad with the addition of tomatoes; in dried form, they are used to make soups, sauces and vegetable stews;
• dried yellow fava peas - grown here and used to make mashed potatoes, served with lemon sauce with olive oil and chopped onions;
• Tomatokeftedes - meatballs or "poor man's food" - are made from fleshy large tomatoes, which are crushed together with the skin, mixed with spices, rolled into balls, rolled in flour and deep-fried.

Sunsets in Santorini

One of the famous and practically free attractions of the island is wonderful bright sunsets, which all tourists and visitors gather on the embankment to look at. If you want to enjoy this performance and at the same time have a bite to eat in a local cafe, then you need to make a reservation, because. limited number of seats.

The best place to watch the sunset is the town of Oia, located on the north side of the island. The maximum experience can be obtained by standing near the lighthouse in the southwest of the island.

art galleries

Mnemossyne Gallery is located in Oia and is one of the favorite places for visitors. It is located in a cave house next to the lighthouse. Photographs of local landscapes, handicrafts (pottery and sculptures) are exhibited here.

The Art of the Loom Gallery in Caldera is housed in a Cycladic-style building built in 1866, which was originally used as a winery. It exhibits works by local artists, jewelry, ceramics and glass.

Hotels and beaches in Santorini

The famous beaches of Santorini with colorful sand:

There are about 500 hotels of various levels on the island. Accommodation provided for visitors in Santorini is quite expensive, especially hotels with a view of the caldera. More budget establishments are located on the western side of the island (Perivolos, Perissa, Kamari) - they do not have pools, but there are many beaches nearby.

The best hotels in Santorini are listed below:

It is no coincidence that the island is called the most colorful and romantic place on the planet:

A popular saying among locals and tourists about the island (former volcano) Santorini says: “There are more donkeys here than people, and there are more cathedrals than houses, and wine is much more than water.”

Article formatting: Lozinsky Oleg

Video about Santorini volcano

Dormant volcano in Greece Santorini:

The attitude to the world among the inhabitants of small islands and people living on the mainland is different. A man from the mainland is much more secure, in every sense. And the islanders live apart, in their own tiny universe, bounded on all sides by the sea. They will not fuss and wring their hands in horror if a week-long storm prevents ships from landing on the island or stubborn winds prevent planes from landing. They just shrug their shoulders - what's the point of blaming natural whims.

These people rely only on the one who looks after them from above, but on themselves. Then already, in the tenth place, they will remember the government that exists somewhere very far away. They live slowly, they can not leave their island for years and even decades, they preserve traditions, cherish the fresh water bestowed by rains, and condescendingly look at young people who are striving to break free. They say that over time, many come back. The islands are calling home.

But how do those who live not just on a piece of land, but on a volcano, on the well-known Santorini feel?
Why stay on the island and raise children? Do they live in fear or have they given up on the dangerous neighborhood for a long time?
I'll tell you what I found out.

Santorini is the common name for a group of islands of volcanic origin located in the Aegean Sea. Their history began with the birth of the volcano. After a period of violence, he "fell asleep", became like a quite decent island and, over time, attracted the attention of people. The island was called "Strongili" - "round", which corresponded to its then outlines.

In the III millennium BC, the Minoans settled in the south of the island - representatives of the culture of Crete, progressive and sophisticated people. It is not known what the name of the city they founded on the island in the 2nd millennium BC was called. Current researchers have agreed to call it the ancient city of Akrotiri, after the modern settlement located nearby. The inhabitants of the ancient city excelled in arts and crafts, were able to build houses with several floors, were engaged in agriculture and maritime trade, had connections with Crete, mainland Hellas, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt. Akrotiri became one of the centers of the Cretan-Minoan civilization.

About one and a half thousand years BC, after an earthquake, the volcano exploded. The disaster was terrible. Volcanic ash enveloped vast areas. Scientists claim that the consequences of the eruption were felt even in the territory of modern Italy and North Africa. The middle of the island has fallen several hundred meters, forming the so-called "caldera" - a round crater with steep walls. The void was rapidly filled with sea waters. Fluctuations in the earth's crust gave rise to a giant tsunami wave. It is believed that its height was from 100 to 200 meters. In less than an hour, a wave hit Crete, destroying the main pride of the Minoans - the ports and the fleet, destroying the palaces and destroying part of the population. The Cretan-Minoan civilization of navigators, travelers, and artists was never able to recover from this blow and eventually died out completely. The scale of what happened gives some researchers reason to assume that the explosion of the Santorini volcano became the basis of the legend about the death of Atlantis.

From the whole round island, only fragments remained - the modern islands of Thira, Thirassia and tiny Aspro (Aspronisi). The tormented remains of the land were covered with a thick layer of volcanic rocks. The ancient city of Akrotiri, like Pompeii centuries later, was buried for millennia under tons of dust and ashes. Archaeologists subsequently concluded that the inhabitants of the Minoan settlement, which flourished on the island before the disaster, managed to leave the island before the eruption began. Earthquakes served as a warning. Whether they managed to hide in a safe place or died at sea is not known.

But people have not abandoned the idea of ​​living on a volcano. A few centuries later, settlers reappeared on the largest, main island. First the Phoenicians. They called the island "Kallisti" - "the most beautiful." Then, in the 9th century BC. e., the Spartans appeared on the island and founded the city - Ancient Tyra (Fira). The island also became known as Thira or Fira.

In the 12th century, the group of islands, like the main island of Thira (Firu), began to be called "Santorini". The origin of the name is associated with the early Christian basilica of Saint Irene, the remains of which were discovered in the modern town of Perissa. It is said that the Franks, who stopped at Tire on their way to Asia, set up camp not far from it. They called the church "Santa Irina", hence the new name. It is used all over the world until now by everyone except local residents. They are closer to the former name - Tyra (or Fira).

At different times, the inhabitants of the island-volcano obeyed Athens, Rome, the Franks, the Byzantines, the Venetians, and in a later period - the Turks.

Throughout all these centuries, the volcano did not let people relax - it regularly erupted, causing earthquakes, tidal waves and giving birth to new islands.

In the 1st century A.D. e. the island of Palea Kameni arose. Three centuries ago, in the 18th century, another island appeared above the water - Nea Kameni. The inhabitants of the island of Thira watched its formation during 1707-1708.

The island was born in pain, as evidenced by the memoirs of the Jesuit Tarillon: “Every day one could observe how huge rocks rise from the sea and the island becomes wider. Sometimes individual rocks connected with the main part of the island, while others, on the contrary, separated from it and moved away from four black islands formed within one month, and a little later they suddenly merged into one whole...

On August 17, fiery streams began to beat from this island, and the sea around it smoked, boiled and foamed. More than sixty vents erupted fire. The sea was covered with a reddish foam that gave off an unbearable stench.

Every night, immediately after the usual growls, tongues of dazzling flames rose from the depths of the sea, accompanied by millions of lights rising up. Since September 18, the volcanic eruption has intensified. Huge rocks spewed out of the craters and, colliding with each other in the air, produced a terrible roar.

Then, with a deafening noise, they fell on Santorini and into the sea. Small Kameni (a new island that has risen from the sea), repeatedly covered by these huge red-hot stone blocks, sparkled in the night with a bright flame.

On September 21, this small stone island was completely engulfed in flames. One of the craters sank into the water, and huge rocks were thrown out for a distance of three miles, followed by four days of relative calm, after which the punishment of the Lord again manifested itself with renewed vigor. The repetitive emissions were so strong that two people could not hear each other, even when they were nearby. People took refuge in churches. The rock of Skaros staggered and all the doors of the houses swung open with a noise.

Until February 1708, the eruptions did not know a break. On February 10, the volcano exploded. Entire mountains were violently ejected from the crater. The island trembled, the underground rumble took its breath away, the sea boiled.

This hell continued until May 23rd. The new island continuously expanded and rose. The large crater was further enlarged as a result of the solidification of the lava. Then everything calmed down."

Thus, a group of five islands was formed, now known under the single name of Santorini (Santorin). It includes the previously formed parts of the ancient round island of Strongili - Thira, Thirasia and Aspro (Aspronisi), as well as islands born in later periods of volcanic activity - Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.

The twentieth century also did not become cloudless in the history of Santorini. The 1956 earthquake killed 57 people and destroyed most of the buildings. The islanders could not communicate their trouble to the world due to lack of communication. They spread out white sheets and hoped that from passing planes they would see their distress signal. Signs were noticed, people were helped. Only the nerves of the inhabitants of the island could not withstand the severity of the experience - many left it. Several hundred people remained on Santorini, and dilapidated houses were sold for next to nothing.

But as usual, life began anew. Now real estate here costs a lot of money, the island is flooded with tourists and the question “isn’t it scary to live on a dangerous island?” its inhabitants shrug and smile. Like, let's figure it out. They take tourists to the islands of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, show signs of volcanic activity - wisps of smoke in a huge crater. They also build churches - there are hundreds of them in the island settlements. It is impossible to live without faith and hope for the best in Santorini.

On the island, I came across a glossy magazine about Santorini. Detailed, beautiful, with many articles on where to stay, what to eat and how to have fun. But in it I was attracted by a small note just about what gives strength to those people who live on the volcanic islands of Santorini.

Translated into Russian, the explanation looks like this: “The Motherland protects its children throughout the history of the island. It was she who warned them of the danger and gave them the opportunity to leave the island, so as not to face the fury of the volcano. Many times the wrath of nature swept away settlements. But like any mother, Rodina knows how to treat her children. How to teach their souls to soar again over the vineyards and enjoy life. The homeland fills its children with the strength to start all over again. This positive energy never leaves her. She is in the water, in the wine, and in those few seconds when the sun goes to rest. It allows you to free your heart. For this priceless gift, the Motherland does not ask for anything in return. Her beauty and tenderness is enough for everyone. After all, Santorini is the beloved child of the almighty lava. She will tell you something about you that you did not suspect before.

GREECE
Santorini, 1470 BC e. what do we know?

The catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano in the Aegean Sea occurred in the summer of 1470 BC. e. Experts believe that it was it that caused the 4 main prehistoric events described by Plato and confirmed by the Bible.

These are the following events:

• Disappearing within one night of Atlantis.
• Parted Red Sea.
• The thickened night that allowed the sons of Israel to come out of Egypt.
• The disappearance of the Minoan culture.

According to the theory of the director of the seismological laboratory of the University of Athens, Professor George A. Galanopoulos, all these legendary events are connected by one catastrophic cause - an unusually powerful eruption of the Santorini volcano, located in the Aegean Sea, 200 kilometers southeast of Athens and 110 kilometers north of the island Crete. The proximity of these places is one of the reasons that speak of the proximity of rivals. Most likely, it was the proximity of a powerful state near Athens that required war with this state, and not with a very distant one, somewhere in the Atlantic.

Santorini (a corruption of the medieval Italian "Saint-Iren" - the patron saint of the volcanic island of Thira) is one of a group of volcanoes in the Aegean Sea that form an arc that bordered the former land mass. According to the theory of Dr. Galanopoulos, the first underground explosions of Santorin occurred in the Pleistocene era, after which the dome of the volcano grew, along with other domes located nearby, up to 1615 meters above sea level.

Obviously, this build-up occurred without much incident. But in the summer of 1470 B.C. Santorini erupted with incredible force, quite enough to grind its top - dome to dust, bring down the slopes of nearby volcanic mountains and throw into the atmosphere over the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, especially Crete, and partly Egypt, a monstrous geyser of molten rocks. After a giant explosion, an area of ​​​​200,000 square kilometers was completely covered with volcanic ash. The concentration of gases in the atmosphere was so high that clouds of ash covered the sun. A darkness descended on Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean that lasted several days, and possibly weeks.

The caldera (depression formed by a volcanic eruption) of Santorina was huge - three times the size of the caldera of the Krakatoa volcano. According to Plato and Dr. Galanopoulos, before the eruption, the lost colony of Atlantis was located on the island.

During the explosion of Santorini in 1470 BC. The civilization of the mythical empire of Atlantis was destroyed. Everything that could survive sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

Legend and reality complement each other here. First, although Santorini initially erupted and was active enough to "grow" to a height of 1615 meters, then he probably stopped his activity for a period that was enough for civilization to arise on the top of the volcano. Secondly, the area of ​​the summit of the volcano was approximately 80 square kilometers. This is not enough for a large civilization, but it is quite suitable for such as Athens or Sparta. They were used for comparison in those days.

The history of Atlantis - an island empire that sank within one day - is told by Plato in the introductory part of the Timaeus and in more detail in the work Critias. The story is attributed to Critias, an Athenian politician from the entourage of Socrates. Critias, in turn, heard it as a ten-year-old boy from his 90-year-old grandfather. He also heard it from his father, a friend of Solon, the founder of Athenian democracy. In general, as in the game "damaged phone". Until the news reached Plato, it could be greatly distorted.

It seems that Solon was a progressive and free thinker. He relied on "illegal agreements" when it came to individual freedom. For this he was exiled for 10 years in Egypt. There, from the priests of Sais, one of the ancient cities in the Nile Delta, he learned the history of an island empire that was larger than Libya and Western Asia combined and located behind the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar). 9000 years ago, this empire disappeared under water in one day.

The study of deep-sea deposits of the eastern Mediterranean Sea made it possible to restore the conditions of a grandiose volcanic catastrophe.
In the cores taken from the bottom of the Aegean Sea, two layers of volcanic sediments were found, located at levels from 80 to 170 centimeters below the upper limit of bottom sediments. Together with small particles to a height of up to 50 km. volcanic bombs of various sizes and pumice are flying. Such material from volcanic ejecta is called tephra.
The study of the extracted soil columns made it possible to reliably distinguish between the upper and lower tephra, build maps of the areal distribution of these two volcanic layers, and determine their thickness. The configuration of the area where volcanic deposits were found and the nature of the thickness distribution of the two ash layers leave no doubt that this ash was formed as a result of the eruptions of the Santorini volcano.
The greatest thickness of the lower ash layer, reaching 22 cm, was found southeast of Santorini. The ash spread up to 400 kilometers north of Santorini and up to 1,000 kilometers west, almost as far as Sicily. All the islands in the Aegean, including Crete, within a radius of 200 km from Santorini, were covered with a layer of aeolian ash several centimeters thick.

The upper horizon of volcanic sediments (upper tephra) reaches its greatest thickness also near Santorini. 130 km southeast of the volcano, its thickness exceeds two or more meters. The ash constituting this horizon reached the shores of Africa, Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula to be deposited there in a layer exceeding 1 mm. The maximum distance over which the ash of the upper tephra was transported was no more than 700 km. In places of its greatest accumulation, it was found that the upper tephra ash layer consists of three coarse-grained horizons and three fine-grained ones with sharp contacts between them. This indicates that the upper ash layer was formed as a result of three consecutive eruptions of Santorin, of which the first was the strongest and most abundant.

Based on this, it was concluded that Santorini twice took the form of the round island of Strongili and twice fell apart. The first time this happened in the late Pleistocene, 25 thousand years ago, when the lower layer of tephra was deposited on the seabed, and the second time, in the Minoan era, ca. 3400 years ago, when the top layer of tephra was deposited.

Further distribution of volcanic sediments depends primarily on the direction and speed of high-altitude winds. After analyzing the air currents in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, scientists came to the conclusion that the distribution of the material of the lower tephra indicates its transfer by high-speed winds, which indicates a volcanic eruption in winter.
Upper tephra was deposited under conditions of lower wind speeds. This is consistent with the meteorological pattern of summer northwestern trade winds with relatively low speeds. The fact that the eruption occurred in the summer, before the harvest, is confirmed by the fact that in the jugs found during archaeological excavations in Santorini, there were almost no food reserves left.
The shape of the tephra fallout area allows us to conclude that the cloud that covered the whole of Crete, some areas of the Peloponnese and Asia Minor, was transported in the southwest direction. A meter layer of tephra of that time was found on the island of Rhodes. A cloud of volcanic gases, vapors and dust must have covered an area much larger than that on which the tephra fell.

The lower layer of tephra dates back to about 25,000 years ago. The date was determined on the basis of the age of shells of microorganisms found in the soil cores.
The upper ash horizon turned out to be much younger. Although there is a rather large scatter of numbers, it is still certain that the upper tephra was formed less than 5 thousand years ago. The formation of the upper ash horizon was caused by the Santorini eruption and is dated, quite reliably, by determining the absolute age from the carbon isotope in a piece of wood found under 30 meters of ash. Radiocarbon analysis carried out showed that this piece was separated from the tree between 1510 and 1310 BC. e. Around this time, a catastrophic volcanic eruption occurred. And then the central part of Strongile again went into the depths of the sea, forming a lagoon-caldera.

The ash from the Santorini caldera and from the upper layer of the bottom sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean are exactly the same.

The catastrophic volcanic eruptions that took place on the islands of Indonesia can give an idea of ​​the events that took place 35 centuries ago in the Aegean Sea. In 1812, a new volcano was born on the island of Sumbawa, which received the name Tambora. For three years of its activity, it grew to a height of four kilometers, and on April 15, 1815 there was a terrible explosion that shortened the volcano from 4000 to 2851 meters. Clouds of ash covered the sky over an area with a radius of up to 500 kilometers: there was total darkness here for three days. A caldera 700 meters deep and six and a half kilometers in diameter formed at the site of the explosion.
The eruption of Krakatau occurred in August 1883 in the Sunda Strait. On August 26, residents of the island of Java, located at a distance of 160 km from Krakatoa, heard a noise like thunder. At 14 o'clock. a black cloud about 27 km high rose over Krakatoa. At 17 o'clock. the first tsunami happened. Until noon on August 27, several more tsunamis arose. Explosions continued throughout the night, but the most powerful of them occurred on 27 August. Gases, vapors, debris, sand and dust rose to a height of 80 km and dispersed over an area of ​​​​over 827,000 km, and the sound of explosions was heard in Australia and off the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa.
Hot ash and debris covered many hundreds of square kilometers. The wave caused by the explosion went around the entire globe. Its speed reached 566 kilometers per hour, and the height was 35 meters.
Explosions occurred throughout the autumn of 1883, and only on February 20 of the following year did the last eruption occur. During the eruptions, at least 18 km of rocks were thrown out, of which two-thirds fell on an area with a radius of 15 km from the explosion site. The sea north of Krakatoa became shallow and became unnavigable for large ships. As a result of these explosions, only the southern half of the cone was preserved, and in place of the rest of the island, a depression about 7 km in diameter was formed in the ocean.
The crater formed after the explosion of Santorin is much larger and deeper than the craters resulting from the explosion of Krakatoa. This means that the eruption of Santorini-Strongyle was even more powerful. During it, 70 cubic kilometers of rocks were thrown out, that is, three to four times more than during the Krakatoa explosion.

Before the catastrophe that formed the upper tephra, Santorin was a complex group of volcanic cones fused with each other, located mainly along its periphery. First, a large island of Thira arose with a volcanic cone height of about 1600m. Gradually, the large island grew together with small islands located to the south.
After the disaster, a collapse caldera arose and most of the island collapsed into the water. It is possible that the inner part of the Santorini archipelago, even before the catastrophe, was partly a lagoon or a flat territory formed due to the demolition of volcanic products from the volcanic mountain range that framed the island. This point of view is supported by an analysis of volcanic eruptions that immediately preceded the catastrophe. Geological observations indicate that the first manifestations of volcanism did not portend catastrophes. Geologists divide pumice emissions accumulated during the eruption into three layers. The lower, “pink” pumice erupted at a lower temperature. During the period of its formation, one or several vents operated in the northern part of the island. The middle group of pumice layers, encountered in the south and east of Tyra, is distinguished by a pronounced irregular bedding. This indicates a series of weak to moderate explosive eruptions separated by quiet intervals. The absence of fragments of ancient lavas indicates the activity of the former vents. The release of huge masses of gas-rich magma inevitably caused the collapse of the roof of the underground reservoir. This process could have begun even during the eruptions, but it manifested itself most of all shortly after they ended.

The oldest population of Santorini, which appeared here ca. 3000 BC e., was pre-Greek. The presence of the influence of the Minoan Crete was established during excavations at Akrotiri, when from under a 40-meter layer of volcanic ash they dug up a whole village of two or three-story houses, decorated with frescoes that resemble wall paintings of Minoan palaces.
During excavations in the harbor of Akrotiri, a city destroyed by an earthquake was discovered. According to scientists, its area was one and a half square kilometers. Nearby, under a layer of ash, a residential building, vessels from the Minoan period, fragments of a loom and large cinder blocks were discovered. Frescoes were discovered under a multi-meter layer of ash. They showed plants, birds, the landscape of the island before the eruption, gracefully stepping antelopes, a leaning palm tree, boys boxing in special gloves, a procession of women with sacred gifts, and an ape-like creature painted blue. Found on Tyre, the city is not inferior in size and splendor to Knossos in the center of Crete. The Santorini volcanic massif was surprisingly well adapted to create an impregnable military fortress there, therefore it was most expedient to keep a navy on Tire in case of an attack by enemies and in order to extend its power to the remote territories of the Mediterranean.
Akrotiri turned out to be empty, it was possible to find out that the evacuation of people took place long before the eruption - on the walls of abandoned houses, before they were covered with ashes, grass had time to grow. The explosion of the volcano destroyed the northern part of the city, covered the southern part with a multi-meter layer of ash, and some quarters went under water, to the bottom of the lagoon. Their remains were found at a depth of 20 meters.

F. Fouquet once discovered that despite the enormous force of the eruption and the proximity of the caldera, the Minoan buildings on the island of Tyra were preserved under a layer of tephra in relatively good condition. On this basis, he concluded that the eruption was not preceded by any strong earthquakes, and that it began with a sudden powerful ejection of ash and pumice that covered the Minoan settlements. Therefore, by the time of the collapse of the island, part of the settlements around the future caldera had already been buried by a thick layer of tephra.

In 1939, the archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos, following an excavation of a Minoan villa at Amnisos on the north coast of Crete, concluded that the Minoan civilization had been destroyed by an eruption on the nearby volcanic island of Santorini. Layers of ash and volcanic pumice were found in Amnisos, Marinatos suggested that the walls of the villa collapsed from the impact of a huge tidal wave caused by a volcanic eruption. The fact that the eruption of Thera occurred during the Bronze Age was beyond doubt: ceramics of the Minoan period had already been discovered in the debris of volcanic origin. In 1967, under a thick layer of volcanic ash and tephra, streets lined with Minoan houses opened up. In some houses, beautiful colored frescoes and untouched ceramics were found. In the late 1980s, it became apparent that the eruption occurred about 150 years before the destruction of Knossos and the great Minoan palaces.

According to archaeological data, all the Cretan palaces of the Minoan era on the northern and eastern shores of the island were destroyed simultaneously at the end of the 15th century. BC. The coastal settlements of Crete were suddenly abandoned, the population taking refuge in impregnable mountain shelters in the center of the island. After this event, some palaces were subsequently reoccupied, but only partially; others were abandoned forever. During the excavations of the palaces of Crete, archaeologists found pieces of pumice, as well as caked pieces of other volcanic rocks mixed with sulfur.
Until recently, the hypothesis that the destruction of all cities and large settlements on Crete was caused by tsunamis, earthquakes and air shock waves generated by the explosion of Santorini enjoyed fairly wide support. This was one of the main reasons that undermined the power of the state to such an extent that it became an easy prey for its neighbors.
At present, the hypothesis is being refuted with the same enthusiasm with which it was previously supported. Opponents argue that a single natural disaster could not lead to the disappearance of an entire civilization.

Volcanic emissions cover the island to a height of 30-35 meters. And in some places reach hundreds of meters. The wind scattered tens of millions of tons of ash and pumice throughout the Aegean Sea and even carried it to North Africa, Asia Minor and Macedonia. Anafi Psara, Kos, Milos, Naxos and other islands of the Cyclades were covered with a layer of ash more than a dozen centimeters thick. The same layer of ash fell on Crete, in its central and eastern parts, the most densely populated areas of the island. This is quite enough to seriously damage fruit trees, destroy crops and grasses on pastures and, thereby, cause mass death of livestock. Under the threat of starvation, the surviving population of Crete was forced to leave the fertile valleys of the central and eastern parts of the island and go to the regions of western Crete.
During the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783. volcanic ash that covered the entire country caused mass starvation of herbivores. A mixture of volcanic gases and ash formed a bluish smog that enveloped Iceland, causing great damage to grain and fodder crops and resulting in starvation and starvation. The consequence of all this was the death of half the cows, three-quarters of the sheep and horses, and the population of Iceland was reduced by a fifth.
During the eruption of Mount Katmai in Alaska in June 1912. pyroclasts that fell in the vicinity of the city of Kodiak, 160 km southeast of the eruption, formed a layer 25 cm thick and completely drowned out small vegetation. All streams and wells here were covered with ashes. The cattle had to be taken out, and it was possible to return it only after 2 years, when the pastures revived.

An explosion in Santorini caused a powerful tremor. But if at the epicenter the magnitude of the earthquake exceeded 10 points, in Crete it decreased to 8 points. However, great damage to Crete was caused not only by the tsunami and volcanic ash, but also by the blast wave that came to the island after the earthquake that followed the explosion of Strongile.
During the eruption of Krakatoa, the roar of the explosion was heard over an area equal to 1/13 of the globe. Air shock waves shattered glass in houses 150 km away, and in some cases houses were damaged at a distance of 800 km from Krakatau. This means that in the Cyclades and Crete, located 100-150 km from Santorin, the blast wave should have caused significant destruction. It is possible that the destructive effect of the air wave was even greater than that of earthquakes. Disasters also hit neighboring lands. First of all, this applies to Egypt.

The Minoan eruption was not the last page in the history of Santorini. The volcano was silent for 1200 years.
In 197 B.C. e. in the lagoon of Santorini appeared a small island formed by lava. The Roman philosopher and naturalist Seneca, in his work “Questions of Natural Science”, speaking of the forces that shape the face of the planet, included among them the “pressure of air”, which “can sweep the earth over a large area, erect new mountains, create among the sea never before seen islands. And Santorin cited as an example: “Who will doubt that Teru, Therazia and this new island, which appeared in the Aegean Sea before our eyes, gave birth to air?”
In 46 a.d. e. another volcanic island was born. At 60 a new eruption merged the islands together. Palia Kameni was the first island to form after the Minoan eruption.
Masudi reported that in 535. in the Nile Delta there was a strong earthquake, the earth sank, and the sea rushed to the land. At the same time, there was a significant change in the coast of Crete, the islands surrounding it and the underwater relief of the Aegean Sea.
In 726, another eruption at the bottom of the lagoon increased the area, and then the volcano subsided. Several explosions scattered volcanic material for several kilometers around. The viscous magma that later filled the crater appeared as a black tongue of lava on the northeast coast of Palea Cameri. The chronicler Theophanes recorded the eruption of 726: “In the summer of this very year, from the depths of the sea between the islands of Tyra and Thirassia, heat began to bubble from the fiery furnace. It bubbled for several days, and increased all the time, and soon became a pillar of fire, and smoke became like fire, and from the thickness of this continuous fiery curtain huge pumice stones flew throughout Asia and the island of Lesbos and Abydos and to all parts of Macedonia, which was beyond the sea.
In 1452, he woke up again, increasing the area. The destruction of Palia Kameni probably happened between 1457 and 1458. The last time this volcano showed its activity in 1508, completing the formation of the island of Palea Kameni.
Underwater eruptions that lasted three years, from 1570 to 1573, about two and a half kilometers northeast of Palea Kameni, gave rise to the island of Micra Kameni.

On September 14, 1650, a powerful eruption of an underwater volcano began on the northeastern side of the island of Thira. It was accompanied by earthquakes that did not stop day or night.
An unusually strong volcanic process took place in the center of the ring in 1707; it did not stop for five years. In 1707, two volcanic cones appeared, named Aspronisi and Macronesi. Then, within five years, they united and Nea Kameni arose. The eruptions from 1701 to 1711 were very interesting from a geological point of view, because it was one of those rare cases when a volcano could be observed appearing in the sea. On May 21, 1711, three days after the massive eruption, the appearance of a white island could be observed. It continued to grow, and after a few days, the people of Santorini discovered black lava, pumice, and marine life still living on it. The island grew slowly, reaching a width of 600 meters and a height of up to 80 meters. On the 5th of June a fire was seen, after which a new black island appeared in the north. On September 12th, the black island became so big that it merged with the white one. Nea Kameni was 910 meters long in the south, 1650 in the west and 1440 in the east. The height of the island reached 106 meters.
The Jesuit Gori observed the 1707-1711 eruptions from Skaros Castle. "And now, between this little island and Great Stoney, on May 23rd, 1707, in the middle of the day, the New Island, of which I will now speak, first appeared on the surface of the earth. Be that as it may, the fishermen discovered the island early in the morning, but unable to understand what it was, some mistook it for a sunken ship, shipwrecked and drifting on the sea.As soon as the fishermen realized that this was a new island, they were frightened and quickly rushed to the shore, spreading rumors throughout the island, which with They readily believed, since all the inhabitants knew, and some even saw, what happened in 1650.
1712 "At this time, the White Island, which seemed higher than Lesser Kameneni and could be seen from the first floor of Skaros Castle, now began to sink and sink so that it was already difficult to see it from the second floor."

Volcanic activity in the lagoon resumed in 1866, when eruptions began in the Volcano Bay on the banks of Nea Kameni. The area of ​​Nea Kameni almost quadrupled as a result of the 1866-1870 eruption. In 1925-1926 and in 1928, a new underwater eruption further increased the area of ​​Nea Kameni; the eruption of 1939-1941 contributed to the growth of the island. In 1945, the volcano created the new Daphne Island. This island grew rapidly and connected Mikra-Kameni and Nea-Kameni. The last eruption in Santorini, which occurred in 1950-1956, once again increased the size of Nea Kameni.
The strongest (Minoan) eruption of Santorini was not known either in the classical era or in the Middle Ages. Only the study of the geological structure of the island of Thira, begun at the end of the 19th century, and oceanological research in the Eastern Mediterranean made it possible to establish this grandiose geological phenomenon.

The eruptions of Santorini, which took place in the Middle Ages, were described in detail by the abbot Pegu in 1842. He was the first explorer to understand that the space between the islands of Thira, Thirasia and Aspronisi from the Santorini group is a giant caldera flooded by the sea, formed as a result of the collapse of a single volcanic island that once existed.