The Island’s History

Legend tells about the Argonauts looking for the Golden Fleece. And it comments on a clod of earth which was thrown into the sea from the mythical boat, and which became Kalliste – "the most beautiful", and later on Thera – "the savage". The Greek name Santorini is due to the Venetian, who named the island after Saint Irene – Santa Irini.

The first settlers’ traces can be found even 5,000 years b. C. The time around 2,000 b.C. was marked by a culture very similar to the Minoan one (of Crete) which richly influenced on economy and arts. Later on, there were Phoenician, Dorian and the Ptolemy. Roman, Venetian, Franks and Ottomans reigned in Santorini until the Greek Revolution in 1821.

Ancient Thera is situated in the east. The city’s ruins have seen the Ptolemaic epoch in the 4th century b.C. It may not surprise that Santorini is, again and again, associated with the mysterious Atlantis, since always new details are unearthed during archaeological excavations.