Santorini Travel Guide
CULTURE
Pre 20th Century History
Minor eruptions have been the norm in Greece's earthquake record, but Santorini has bucked the trend (and then some) throughout history. Eruptions here were genuinely earth shattering, and so intense that they changed the shape of the island several times.
Dorians, Venetians and Turks occupied Santorini, as they did all other Cycladic islands, but its most influential early inhabitants were the Minoans. They came from Crete some time between 2000 and 1600 BC, and the settlement at Akrotiri dates from the apogee of their great civilisation.
The island was circular then and was called Strongili (the Round One). Around 1650 BC a colossal volcanic eruption caused the centre of Strongili to sink, leaving a caldera with high cliffs - now one of the world's most dramatic sights. Some archaeologists have speculated that this catastrophe destroyed not only Akrotiri but the structure, and eventually the essence, of the Minoan civilisation. Another theory that has fired the already overheated imaginations of some writers, artists and mystics since ancient times claims that the island was part of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis.
Modern History
More recent undersea volcanic activity begins around the early 18th century and has seen some serious action at least three times in the 20th century, the lastest being in 1950. Add to this another brush with natural chaos in 1956, when the island was struck by a 7.8 earthquake.
Santorini was annexed to Greece in 1912, and during World War II the Italians and Germans occupied Santorini until October 18, 1944.
Although the current primary industry of Santorini is tourism, two million tons of pumice were exported per year until the quarries closed in 1986 to conserve the caldera. (The insulation of the Suez Canal was made out of Thira's pumice stone mixed with cement.) Santorini is also home to a small but ever-growing wine industry, based on Assyrtiko, the indigenous grape variety.
Recent History
Apart from its capital, Fira, the island supports a few major towns including Oia, Emporio, Kamari and Pyrgos. Water is scarce on the island and, until the early '90s, locals used to subsist on imports, rainwater and small springs. A desalinisation plant was built that now provides running, yet non-drinkable, water and, as the island subsists mainly from tourism, resource management is a crucial focus to keep the industry sustainable.
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