Would you mind citing your source for the caldera being over 100,000 years old? I’ve never read this before and I’m not doubting, just very curious. I would like more information.
Herodotus lived in the 5th century BC and the volcano in the middle of the caldera and lagoon, Nea Kamena, rose above the surface of the water in 196 BC, I believe.
I’ve visited Santorini several times now and it’s as stunningly scenic as its history is fascinating.
The Greek archeologist Spyridon Marinatos originally proposed Santorini as the probably source of the Atlantis legends. The most compelling explanation of the source of the Atlantis legend can be read in Graham Hancock’s “Underworld”. It was not Santorini (or the town of Hellike, as others have theorized).
:’) There was a big eruption tracing to Thera 22,000 years ago, and (although no one can probably figure it out for sure) the big gap on the west side of caldera may date from that. In the book linked above (the Zangger title) that 22K year ago eruption generated pumice (I think it was, I don’t have the book here) found in Crimea (ditto). But anyway, it’s an old volcano. Some pumice which had been worked into some kind of artifact was excavated in Egypt (I think at Tell ed-Daba; a google search of FR for “Sturt Manning” will locate a post about this) had been assumed to be from Thera, but turned out to be from the Kos volcano, iow, 102K year old eruption. :’)
The Greek archeologist Spyridon Marinatos originally proposed Santorini as the probably source of the Atlantis legends. The most compelling explanation of the source of the Atlantis legend can be read in Graham Hancock's "Underworld". It was not Santorini (or the town of Helike, as others have theorized).I agree, not Santorini, not Helike; also not Crete, not Anatolia (both Zangger and Peter James put Atlantis there), or that little island that succumbed to a tsunami during the Peloponnesian War. :')