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Akrotiri Frescoes
The Bronze Age frescoes from Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) provide some of the most famous images from the ancient Greek world. Sometime between 1650 and 1550 BCE Thera suffered a devastating earthquake which...
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Minoan Frescoes
Frescoes are the source of some of the most striking imagery handed down to us from the Minoan civilization of Bronze Age Crete (2000-1500 BCE). Further, without written records, they are often the only source, along with decorated pottery...
Definition
Thera
Thera is the ancient name for both the island of Santorini in the Greek Cyclades and the name of the volcano which famously erupted on the island in the middle Bronze Age. The 17th century BCE eruption covered Akrotiri, the most important...
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Akrotiri and the Eruption of Thera: The Pompeii of the Aegean
Often referred to as the Pompeii of the Aegean, Akrotiri is a settlement that was completely covered by pumice after the eruption of Thera in the late 17th / early 16th century BCE. Thera, the name of both the island and the volcano erupted...
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20 Frescoes from Pompeii
In this gallery, we present 20 of the most striking frescoes found in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in Italy. These frescoes were once buried under a thick carpet of volcanic ash from the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE. Year after year, archaeologists...
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Faras Cathedral
The Cathedral of Faras, a city in ancient Nubia and once the capital of the Kingdom of Faras (aka Nobatia), was built and rebuilt from the 8th to 11th century CE. Its interior was decorated with hundreds of frescoes which are amongst the...
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Fisherman Fresco, Akrotiri
The Fisherman Fresco from Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Thera (Santorini). The male may actually be a youth offering fish as part of a religious ceremony rather than a fisherman. From Room 5 of the West House, c. 17th century BCE. (National...
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Minoan Lady, Fresco, Akrotiri
A fresco from the House of the Ladies in Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Thera (Santorini), c. 17th century BCE. The several women depicted on the walls of the room wear typical Minoan dress. Above the women is a representation of a starry...
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Boxers Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera
The Boxers Fresco from Bronze Age Akrotiri on the island of Thera (Santorini), c. 1700 BCE. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
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Monkey Fresco, Akrotiri
The Monkey Fresco from Room B6 in Akrotiri on the Aegean island of Thera (Santorini), c. 17th century BCE. The monkeys are climbing rocks in an effort to escape dogs which are chasing them. (Museum of Prehistoric Thera, Santorini)