In 1867, quarry workers removing volcanic material from Santorini discovered stone blocks, pottery, and preserved goods. French geologist Ferdinand Fouqué arrived that same year to study the volcano and ancient ruins beneath the ash. Modern excavations began in 1967 under Spyridon Marinatos, revealing a city culturally linked to Minoan Crete. The buried Bronze Age settlement was named Akrotiri after the nearby village on ancient Thera.
Akrotiri discovered in 1960s excavations on Santorini after 1866 volcanic material quarrying
GreeceGeneral
Key facts
- In 1866, quarry workers stripping volcanic material for the Suez Canal found man-made stone blocks, pottery shards, and preserved agricultural goods
- Ferdinand Fè arrived on Santorini in 1866 to study the volcano and ancient ruins beneath the ash
- Modern excavations began in the late 1960s, revealing a city culturally connected to Minoan Crete
- The buried city was named Akrotiri after a nearby cape on Santorini (ancient Thera)
Site mentioned
Sources
News - Minoan Artifacts Uncovered at Akrotiri - Archaeology Magazinearchaeology.org
The artifacts include clothing, burned fruit, black-and-white painted pottery, painted pottery made in the shape of shells, large double braids made of bronze, ...
Akrotiri (prehistoric city) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The earliest excavations on the island of Santorini were conducted by French geologist F. Fouque in 1867 after some local people found old artifacts at a quarry ...
10 Amazing Facts About Akrotiri, the Bronze Age City Wiped Out by ...mentalfloss.com
Workers building the Suez Canal discovered the buried city. In 1867, as builders excavated volcanic soil from Santorini to be used for the ...
Ancient Akrotiri - The Mysterious Excavation on Santoriniflymetothemoontravel.com
In the second half of the 19th century, locals had been finding some interesting objects at a quarry. This prompted the French geologist ...
Santorini's Hidden Worlds - NASA Sciencescience.nasa.gov
An explosive eruption thousands of years ago transformed the volcanic island but preserved a Bronze Age town under a layer of ash.
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