Head to the Parthenon, an icon of antiquity

Akrotiri a Bronze Age city preserved in volcanic ash

I A thousand years before the Parthenon, there was Akrotiri, a city on today’s Santorini that was buried in ash from a volcano 3,600 years ago. Back then, it was one of the most important ports on the Aegean Sea — a crossroads between the Greek mainland of Athens and Egypt.

The volcano, largest in human history, forever altered the island and triggered a tsunami that traveled south to Cyprus, wiping out the Minoan civilization there. Word of that cataclysmic event may have inspired Plato’s story of the lost Atlantis.

Excavations of ancient Akrotiri reveal sophistication and prosperity including an elaborate drainage system, beautiful wall paintings and multistory buildings perfectly preserved almost 2,000 years before Pompeii.

I visited on a shore excursion from the Celebrity Apex, carefully planned for first thing in the morning before the heat set in. Ramps wind around to allow visitors to see the ruins without disturbing them.

Rediscovered in the late 1800s when pumice from that ancient volcano was being mined to build the Suez Canal in Egypt, archaeological excavations which continue today, were begun in the 1960s. Fewer than 10 percent of the ancient site has been excavated to date.

Unlike Pompeii, which also met its end by a volcano in 79 A.D., no human or animal remains have been uncovered in Akrotiri, prompting the belief that earthquakes caused its residents to evacuate before the largest volcano in human history erupted in 1646 B.C., destroying and transforming much of the island then called Thera.

The entire island remained unoccupied for a thousand years after the cataclysm.

Many of today’s visitors to Santorini come to see the 8-by-5-mile caldera blasted out by the ancient volcano, where today’s cruise ships anchor.

Akrotiri, on the flatter, eastern side of the island, now is covered with a canopy of wood and steel to protect ongoing discoveries — as well as visitors and archaeologists from the harsh island sun. Many of its exquisite frescos have been relocated to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, but artifacts remaining still reveal much about the lives lived here more than 3,000 years ago.

The site is vast, with two- and three-story buildings, their ancient window and door frames intact. Perfectly preserved by the ash in which they were buried for millennia, large jars still containing olive oil and barley can still be seen.

Next month: Visit some of the islands with us.

COURTESY OF CATHRYN KNEZEVICH The Parthenon, which is undergoing rehabilitation, is the major temple to be seen by visitors after a climb to the Acropolis in Athens.