Santorini history

Named by the Venetians in the 13th century after Saint Irene,  the island of Santorini with its  amazing  history and diverse scenery will undoubtedly amaze you.

Santorini's first inhabitants were the Minoans in 3000 BC, also known as the early Cycladic period. Their society was largely influenced by the nearby Minoan Civilization of Crete and a proof of that is definitely the  wall-paintings found at excavated Akrotiri are similar, showing a link, to those found at the Palace of Knossos on Crete.

The Dorians renamed the island Thera (or Thira) in the 11th century BC, and they built their city of the same name high on the south-eastern side of the island.

Also note that Santorini was part of the Duchy of Naxos when under Venetian rule in the thirteenth century. The Turks followed in the mid-16th century, when Santorini was one of the last of the Cyclades to fall to Turkish domination. Later on in 1832, Santorini and the other Cyclades Islands were united to the new Greek State.