The end of civilizationand the new beginning

The EruptionThe Minoan eruption of Thera, also referred to

as the Thera eruption or Santorini eruption, was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption.

The eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history.

The eruption devastated the island of Thera and also the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri and nearby islands.

The effectsThera eruption was the biggest eruption in

Greece. It destroyed two big civilizations, Minoan and Cycladic, it killed over one million people as recorded and it introduced a brave new world for Greece.

GeomorphologyThe island of Thera suffered

from geological disaster.After the eruption, the geomorphology of the island was characterized by an intense erosional phase, during which the pumice was progressively removed from the higher altitudes towards the lower ones.

Ancient TheraAncient Thera is an antique city on Messavouno

mountain on Santorini island.It had buildings like the Agora, a square 110m long and between 17 and 30m wide. The Basilike Stoa marked the center of public life and the sacred area on the spur of the mountain ridge enclosed a grotto dedicated to Hermes and Heracles.

Historical ImpactThe eruption devastated the nearby Minoan

settlement at Akrotiri on Santorini, which was entombed in a layer of pumice. It is believed that the eruption also severely affected the Minoan population on Crete, although the extent of the impact is debated. There are theories saying that the eruption caused a tsunami and there are others saying that the ashfall from Thera on the eastern half of Crete choked off plant life, causing starvation of the local population.

Santorini TodayNowadays, Santorini or Thera is one of the most popular islands of Greece and one of the most known islands worldwide.

The end That’s it. We hope you enjoyed it. Thank you

for your time.

Despoina FokaChristina Barakou