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Santorini

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Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Santorini is the modern name for a collection of small islands in the southern Aegean Sea, the southernmost group in the Cyclades Islands. The ancient name is Thera, which is also the geographic name for the largest of the five islands in this archipelago (the other four are Therasia, Aspronisi, Nea Kameni, and Palaeo Kameni) (Figure 1). Theras, from Sparta, established a colony here in the fifth century BCE. Another ancient name is Kalliste, mentioned by Apollonius in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts in apparent reference to a spectacular geographic setting created by a ring of islands surrounding a water-filled depression within which were additional islets that today have either subsided below sea level or been merged into Nea Kameni island. “Santorini” refers to the entire island cluster, and this name was applied during Venetian occupation of the islands from the early thirteenth century AD in reference to Santa Irini, the patron saint of sailors (who is reputedly buried on...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Sciences, University of Hawaii – Windward, 45-720 Kea’ahala Road, Kane’ohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Floyd W. McCoy

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Correspondence to Floyd W. McCoy .

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  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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McCoy, F.W. (2017). Santorini. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_106

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