thera

Thera, or Thira in Greek, is a volcanic island in the southern Aegean Sea and the largest of the circular cluster of islands around the Santorini caldera in the Cyclades archipelago of Greece. The island is more commonly known today as Santorini, a name that appears in tourism and popular culture, while Thera/Thira remains its official Greek designation. The landscape features a crescent-shaped caldera formed by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history.

Around 1600 BCE, a massive eruption devastated the island and altered the surrounding geography, ejecting vast volumes of ash and pumice and leading to the collapse of the central volcanic cone. The eruption likely contributed to climatic effects across the region and is associated with upheavals in Bronze Age Aegean civilizations. The island today includes volcanic islands such as Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, which remain active features inside the caldera.

Human habitation on Thera predates the classical era. The Bronze Age Theran culture developed on the island and neighboring isles, and the Minoan city of Akrotiri was buried by volcanic ash and subsequently excavated beginning in the 1960s. Finds from Akrotiri provide insight into Bronze Age urban life and long-distance trade networks in the Aegean.

In modern times, Santorini is a major tourist destination known for its cliff-side towns, such as Fira and Oia, white-washed buildings, blue domes, and views over the caldera. The economy is dominated by tourism and wine production, notably from the Assyrtiko grape. The island remains administratively part of the South Aegean region and is governed as the municipality of Thira.