Thera Spring Fresco

Spring Fresco, Akrotiri, Thera, now Santorini, Greece, 1700 BC. Detail. The Akrotiri Spring Fresco, discovered in 1967, is one of the Wall Paintings of Thera and a leading example of Minoan painting. It dates back to the Bronze Age. The fresco depicts a brightly colored rocky landscape dotted with blossoming lilies and flying swallows, painted with remarkable precision. The blossoming lilies that dominate the composition help us to imagine the landscape of the island before the devastating Theran eruption. It also represents an exceptional artistic milestone: perhaps for the first time in the history of art, an artist decided to look around and create art from the surrounding landscape. Around 1600 BCE, a disastrous earthquake, followed by a volcanic eruption, covered the city of Akrotiri in the island of Thera in a thick layer of pumice and ash, which resulted in the remarkable conservation of frescoes -including the Akrotiri Boxing boys Fresco- from multiple buildings throughout the town. To create such vibrant frescoes, a smooth lime plaster was applied to the walls and then painted over. It is impossible to know whether the match was a competitive one or simply a routine sport. Thera is the best-known Minoan site outside Crete, homeland of the culture. The island was not known as Thera at this time. Only the southern tip of the large town of Akrotiri has been uncovered, yet it has revealed complexes of multi-level buildings, streets, and squares with remains of walls standing as high as eight metres, all entombed in the solidified ash of the famous eruption of Thera. The site was not a palace-complex as found in Crete nor was it a conglomeration of merchant warehousing. Its excellent masonry and fine wall-paintings reveal a complex community. A loom-workshop suggests organized textile weaving for export. This Bronze Age civilization thrived between 3000 and 2000 BC, reaching its peak in the period between 2000 and 1630 BC. The volcanic eruption on the island of Thera, now known as Santorini, was one of the largest Plinian eruptions in the past 10,000 years, with a range of 30–40 cubic kilometres. An eruption of this size would have most likely generated a tsunami over 100 feet tall, travelling across the Aegean Sea and decimating populations in its path. The size of this eruption had far-reaching impacts on the environment and Civilization in the region, primarily the Minoans. The thick layer of pumice and ash from the volcano covered the island and preserved much of the alienation for thousands of years. As a result, several pieces of Minoan artwork, primarily the frescoes, were preserved as fragments in the rubble, and have been reassembled by archaeologists. These frescoes provide modern society with invaluable insight into the daily lives of the Cycladic people. Thera is regarded as part of the Minoan world, although the culture of Thera was somewhat different from that of Crete, and the political relationship between the two islands at the time is unclear. The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, flourishing from c. 2700 to c. 1450 BC until a late period of decline, finally ending around 1100 BC. It represents the first advanced civilization in Europe, leaving behind massive building complexes, tools, stunning artwork, writing systems, and a massive network of trade. The name "Minoan" derives from the mythical King Minos and the identification of the site at Knossos with the labyrinth and the Minotaur. The Minoan civilization is particularly notable for its large and elaborate palaces up to four stories high, featuring elaborate plumbing systems and decorated with frescoes. The Minoan period saw extensive trade between Crete, Aegean, and Mediterranean settlements, particularly the Near East. Through their traders and artists, the Minoans' cultural influence reached beyond Crete to the Cyclades, Egypt, copper-bearing Cyprus, Canaan and the Levantine coast and Anatolia. Some of the best Minoan art is preserved in the city of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini, which was destroyed by the Minoan eruption. The Minoans primarily wrote in the undeciphered Linear A and also in undeciphered Cretan hieroglyphs. The reasons for the slow decline of the Minoan civilization, beginning around 1550 BC, are unclear, including Mycenaean invasions from mainland Greece and the major volcanic eruption of Santorini. More amazing images from Ancient Civilizations one copy-paste away at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/ancient+civilizations More amazing images from Greece one copy-paste away at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/greece Weston Westmoreland

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