The Akrotiri Frescoes

These frescoes have already witnessed the Bronze Age. They shed light on how people lived in prehistorical times. Scenes of everyday life are dominating: agriculture and navigation, but also sports, games and cultic actions. Local flora and fauna are depicted in landscape representations. The frescoes’ parts are of different durability, so it is suspected that they were begun partially on a humid background.

"The Landscape with the River", "The Ship Procession", "Spring Fresco with Swallows" or the "Antelopes Fresco" are artworks that could hardly be more accomplished. Pictorial representations are mainly found in the West House.

The frescoes found in the building Xeste 3 ask scientists riddles. There are realistic depictions of human beings, animals and plants, but also big helixes, attracting computer expert Konstantinos Papodysseus’ attention. Papodysseus, who works at the Technical University of Athens, found out that the helixes are almost perfect archimedical ones. Nevertheless he fails to answer how they were created and if patterns were used.

Many frescoes of Akrotiri have been restaurated and also exhibitioned in the Archaeological Museum of Athens. In the National Museum of Athens, the "Spring Fresco" and the "House of Women" can be found beside typical polychromic pottery, all those items from about 1,500 years b.C.

Since a Prehistorical Museum has been opened in Fira, Akrotori frescoes can also be admired there.

Sculptures of Akrotiri

Akrotiri