Archaeological tourism as a subcategory of culture is primarily intended for visiting archaeological sites and monuments, museums etc. In Greece's case, the combination of the archaeological wealth of the ancient and timeless culture is one of the main attractions for tourists in the country and a significant competitive advantage over other tourist destinations
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF AKROTIRI
This is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world and certainly the largest in the eastern Mediterranean. Located on the southeastern side of the island, south of the current settlement of Akrotiri village. Due to the ash from the eruption, the findings have been kept in remarkably good condition and could be compared to the archaeological site of Pompeii.
The discovery of the site was completely accidental. During excavation, soil was used in the insulation of the Suez Canal by the French engineer Ferdinard de Lesseps. The first attempt at excavation was by the French Archaeological School, but essentially the main archaeological excavations were conducted by Professor Spyros Marinatos and continued today by Professor Christos Doumas.
The first colonization of the area was in 4500 - during the Neolithic Period, when the city grew during the Bronze Age and became the main settlements of the Aegean. The cape was linked commercially with the majority of mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, Crete and also with Syria, Cyprus and even Egypt. The conclusion follows from the murals and various containers from areas found in the site. The location of the village is ideal as it is protected from the fierce northerly winds and the soil is suitable for agricultural cultivation. Intermediates have been major earthquakes that affected the development of the settlement but did not destroy it , as was the Minoan eruption of the volcano in 1500 BC, when the whole village was buried.
A striking feature is that during the excavations , no human skeletons were found and it is speculated that this is because there were destructive earthquakes before the eruption (with interval of several decades) which contributed firstly to warn the population and secondly to remove potential loss of residents who returned before the explosion, to collect personal and valuable items.
ANCIENT THIRA -ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA
It is an archaeological site in a region inhabited for over 1,000 years and is located in the southeast of the island, a rock with an elevation of 369 Mountain Mesa, between the current settlement Perissa and Kamari. The location of the village is of strategic importance and was established by the Lacedaemonian settlers in the early 8th century BC. The leader of the settlers was Thera and so the current and official name of the island.
For many years the settlement, the city-state of Thera was the only urban center of the island and created much later six other smaller settlements. In Byzantine times it was used primarily by residents of the surrounding areas as a refuge from the pirates. This extensive reconstruction of the archaeological site has resulted in the destruction of older buildings for new construction and so far, the remaining findings are from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Many of the findings are in the Archaeological Museum of Fira.
It should be noted that the temples, the sacred areas, public buildings, residences etc. prevails simple architecture, which is expected to be due to the general ideological views of the first settlers. The visitor can easily understand the organization of the city and the daily habits of its inhabitants.
The main monuments to visit at the site are:
The market centrally located in the city.
- The Royal portico with statues of the family of Caesar.
- The Sanctuary of Artemis.
- The Temple of Dionysus Doric.
- The Theatre.
- The High School Youth.
- The Marketplace of the Gods with dominant Sanctuary of Apollo Karneios.
- The Cemeteries
Contact the sales department of the company and check out the new packs of archaeological tourism plan for 2013 and come to journey over the years in another era.