In 1866, quarry workers excavating volcanic material for the Suez Canal on Santorini found stone blocks, pottery sherds and preserved agricultural goods. French geologist Ferdinand André Fouqué arrived in 1867 and carried out early excavations beneath the volcanic ash. Modern excavations began in 1967 under Spyridon Marinatos, revealing a Bronze Age city with close cultural links to Minoan Crete. The archaeological site takes its name from the nearby modern village of Akrotiri; the ancient city was known as Thera.
Akrotiri finds date to 1866; systematic excavations began in 1967
GreeceGeneral
Key facts
- In 1866, workers quarrying volcanic material for the Suez Canal discovered stone blocks, pottery sherds and preserved agricultural goods.
- French geologist Ferdinand André Fouqué arrived and excavated the site in 1867.
- Spyridon Marinatos began modern excavations in 1967, revealing a Bronze Age settlement closely linked culturally to Minoan Crete.
- Akrotiri is the name of the nearby modern village and archaeological site; the ancient city was known as Thera, not named after a cape.
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.
Lost In Time: Akrotiri, Greece - RTFre-thinkingthefuture.com
Several years later, in the 1860s, the buried city would be discovered when the earth from Santorini was excavated to build of the Suez Canal.
Visiting the buried city of Akrotiri Santorini: Greece's Pompeiiontheluce.com
Workers quarrying ash to build the Suez canal dug down and discovered artefacts from the old city. Some small-scale digs took place then,
Akrotiri Village in Santorini | SantoriniBestTours.comsantorinibesttours.com
In 1806, where the Suez Canal started construction, workers began discovering the remains of the ancient city. It took almost 100 years for true excavations ...
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