Ancient Thera: The Mountaintop City of Santorini

The Story of Ancient Thera

Long after the great volcanic eruption that shaped Santorini and buried the Bronze Age town of Akrotiri, new settlers arrived on the island. According to the historian Herodotus, they were led by Theras, a descendant of Cadmus and a regent of Sparta, who gave the island his name, Thera. These Dorian settlers built their city on Mesa Vouno, a steep rocky ridge about 360 meters high, protected by cliffs and commanding views over the sea on both sides.

From this mountaintop, the people of Thera sent out one of the most famous colonies in Greek history. Herodotus tells that, following the advice of the oracle of Delphi, the Therans sent settlers to North Africa around 630 BC, led by a man named Battus. They founded Cyrene, in what is now Libya, which grew into one of the richest Greek cities of the ancient world.

The most important god of the city was Apollo Karneios, a form of Apollo honored especially by the Dorians, with a festival called the Karneia. His temple stood at the edge of the ridge, near a terrace where festivals were held. On the rocks near this terrace, archaeologists found some of the oldest Greek inscriptions known, carved in the Archaic period. Some mention dances and boast of the beauty and skill of young men, offering a rare and lively glimpse of daily life.

In the 3rd century BC, Thera became an important naval base of the Ptolemies, the Greek kings of Egypt, who stationed a garrison here to control the Aegean. The city prospered and grew, with a marketplace, houses, a theater, a gymnasium and sanctuaries of Egyptian gods alongside the Greek ones. Many of the ruins visible today date from this period and from the Roman era that followed. Walking its long main street, lined with the remains of houses and public buildings, gives a real sense of a busy town perched between the sky and the sea.

One of the most charming monuments was created by Artemidorus of Perge, an admiral in the service of the Ptolemies. He carved a sanctuary into the rock and decorated it with reliefs of an eagle, a lion and a dolphin, symbols of Zeus, Apollo and Poseidon. An inscription records that he dedicated it after a dream, and the carvings can still be seen on the cliff face.

The city continued to be inhabited into the Byzantine period, but it was eventually abandoned. In the late 19th century, the German archaeologist Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen led excavations that uncovered much of the ancient town. Finds from Ancient Thera, including sculpture, pottery and inscriptions, are displayed in the archaeological museum in Fira.

Today Ancient Thera is reached by a winding road from Kamari, followed by a short climb on foot, or by a footpath from Perissa. The effort is well rewarded. Walk along the ancient main street past the marketplace, temples and theater, see the shrine of Artemidorus and enjoy the views over the black sand beaches far below. Bring water and good shoes, and come early in the day before the summer heat sets in.