Travel Pompeii of Greece On Celestyal’s shore excursion to Akrotiri Village, our guide Izmini explained that when the 35-kilometre-high column of volcanic material from the eruption collapsed, it deposited 10 to 12 metres of ash on its buildings. “No one knew that this prehistoric village existed until excavations began in 1967.” We entered a large, roofed structure that protects the excavated buildings and wooden walkways around them. “Everything here is original,” said Izmini. “Only four of the 35 buildings are fully excavated.” Although Akrotiri was covered by ash like Pompeii, it’s 1,600 years older. “No one died here, so the inhabitants had time to escape,” she explained. “ ey didn’t have time to save their valuables, because archaeologists discovered the treasures that they abandoned.” Izmini showed us a photo of a seventh century BC golden ibex sculpture found in 1999. Architects were amazed to learn that the second century BC window and door frames were constructed fromwood for its exible, anti-seismic properties. A er 3,600 years, the wooden frames and furniture decomposed, leaving cavities in the hardened ash which archaeologists lled with plaster. One room displayed casts of beds originally made from wood. A storeroom contained large, clay pots. In another room, a broken staircase provided evidence of an earthquake before the eruption. Wall paintings decorated many of the rooms. Izmini’s fresco photos depicted shermen, owers, animals and ships. Because archaeologists didn’t know the prehistoric village’s name, they named it a er nearby Akrotiri. We later visited the village. Singing emanated from the church, as we strolled past whitewashed homes built below a medieval castle. Wooden walkways surround Akrotiri excavations Izmini tells Celestyal tour group how volcanic ash buried Akrotiri Large clay pots in storeroom 22 | www.snowbirds.org
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