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Santorini, Greece: map Last night we sailed from Paros to Santorini. Santorini, or Thera. is the southmost island of the Cyc;lades. the small rocky islands of the Aegean Sea, all of them known for their mountainous landscapes and sparkling blue waters, for their unique folk architecture of cubic and domed forms emphasized by colorful doorframes and window, and, of course, for their history and culture. The island has been known throughout the ages by different names: Strongyli (round in shape), Kallisti (the prettiest of them all), Thera (named after the Spartan king Theras of the 9th c BC), and Santorini. When the Venetians took over the island, they erected a church that was dedicated to Aghia Inni — Saint Irene — Santa Irene — and Santa Irene was abbreviated and became Santorini. Topography: Santorini is undoubtedly a most extraordinary island. It owes its breathtaking beauty to a catastrophic volcanic eruption that occurred in the 17th c BC. Originally, the island, of volcanic origin, was nearly round. when the volcano erupted (either in 1650 or 1630 BC) the major part of the island’s surface submerged, the sea rushed into the abyss, and a great bay was created — the caldera that today measures 10 km by 7 km, while the average depth of the water in the caldera is approximately 1200 m, and is known as the deepest caldera in the world. In addition, what was left of the island was further cut into different parts, creating 3 different islands. The biggest, in crescent form, is Santorini or Thera, Thirasia, and Aspronisi (meaning the white island). As time passed and once again the result of successive late volcanic eruptions and devastating earthquakes, two more islands were born in the center of the caldera: the “Burnt Islands.” They are black lava formations. and uninhabited. The biggest of the twp Burnt Islands, the Nea Kameni island, is an active but dormant volcano that has clearly been growing. Judging by the fact that 20% of the island disappeared in the massive eruption, and by the fact that the island was then covered with ash to a depth of 20 meters, it is estimated that the volcanic eruption was 3-4 times as great as Krakatoa, which in 1883 created such a haze world-wide that it lowered temperatures world-wide by as much as 1.2 degrees Celsius, an effect that lasted almost 5 years, and gave the world beautiful red sunsets for many years. The massive eruption of Santorini was dated by examining the effects of ash from the eruption on icebergs in Iceland and bristle cone pines in California. The earthquake of 1750 BC is the probable cause of the Minoan civilization of Crete losing its place as a great trading power, probably due to a large tsunami that devastated Crete. After that time, the Mycenaeans took over as the major trading group. There is a Prehistoric Museum in Fira (the capital town of Santorini) where some of the best preserved finds of Acrotiri, the prehistoric city of the 17th c BC that was destroyed by the giant volcanic eruption, are exhibited. The earliest finds that are preserved date to 6000 BC! Santorini flourished in the Bronze Age, primarily because of its role as a great trade power. The main town before the eruption, Acrotiri, was completely covered with ashes, but apparently most of the inhabitants were able to sail away, taking their valuable possessions. Santorini stayed uninhabited for a long time, Later, it was populated by the Polyponesian Greeks, who named it Thera. The Romans used Thera for exile of early Christians. Princess Irene was exiled on Thera. When the Italians came, they called it Santa Irini, which became Santorini. In the 17th c AD a new volcanic crater appeared in the sea off the northeastern tip of Colombo (a white island). 50 years later the new island sank again and is now under the sea.