New light on the Ship Fresco from Late Bronze Age Thera

Walter L. Friedrich & Annette Højen Sørensen Praehistorische Zeitschrift 85.2 (2010): 243-257.

Abstract

The wall paintings from the ancient town of Akrotiri on the island of Thera, part of the Santorini island group, are among the most precious and well-preserved artworks of Late Bronze Age Aegean. The West House at Akrotiri has yielded a miniature fresco frieze depicting ships sailing from one harbour to another. Since the time of its discovery (1971) it has been the subject of many different interpretations. A geological approach in combination with archaeological research and satellite technology has enabled us to demonstrate that the two fresco harbours were probably situated on the inner side of the caldera of Santorini. Furthermore, the archaeological sites of Ballos, excavated in 1870, and Raos, currently under excavation, might be recognisable on the fresco. Thus we consider that the ship fresco shows a local procession of ships at Santorini.