CLASSICS 1A03 Lecture 5: Lecture Five – The Island of Thera
12 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Akrotiri & the eruption of thera (or santorini) Akrotiri i the main excavation site on thera. Destroyed by volcanic eruption during new palace period (lm ia) ca. Dating the eruption of thera has been particularly difficult. The traditional date for the eruption is c. 1500 bc, based on archaeological evidence such as pottery. Carbon dating of an olive wood branch, carbonized in the eruption, has yielded a date of c. 1600. Bc: lots of wood evidence in volcanic eruptions due to how easily it is carbonized. Scientists & archaeologists have also used dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) & ice core sampling to try & date the eruption: evidence is not just located on thera, but also the surrounding areas. Dates eruption to late 1600s: so, ca. The modern excavations of akrotiri began in 1967, under the leadership of spyridon marinates. Only a small area of the settlement has been excavated so far: small, residential houses, no huge palaces.
