|
Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article has a lot of room for expansion. Please improve it with additional information in accordance with the Manual of Style |
A view of Thera
Thera, also called Caldera of Fate, or contemporarily Santorini, is a Greek volcanic island in the southern Aegean Sea. Together with Anaphi and Nisyros, Thera formed the Greek region called the Volcanic Islands.
The southernmost of the Kyklades, Thera was the site of a gargantuan volcanic eruption—one of the largest in history—which virtually obliterated the Minoan civilization in c. 1600 BCE.[1][2][3] Such was the scope of this cataclysm that by 431 BCE, more than a thousand years later, the island was still devoid of human life, and sulfur lakes dotted its landscape, as well as ruins.[1] The island also sat on top of a vault which served as a gateway to Atlantis, an Isu city.[1]
History[]
Classical antiquity[]
In 429 BCE, the Spartan misthios Kassandra traveled to Thera, at the suggestion of her mother in order to find her biological father. Kassandra realigned the mirrors that reflected sunlight, opening the Gateway to the Lost City.[4] After meeting her father Pythagoras and obtaining four relics, Atlantis was sealed. Kassandra exited the ancient city to be greeted by her companions Barnabas and Herodotos, who were ready for more adventures.[5]
In 48 BCE, Aya and Phoxidas, working for the pharaoh Cleopatra, were supposed to meet the general Pompey "off Thera's coast."[6] Around the same time, Aya's husband Bayek visited the Oracle of Apollo Phoebe in the Green Mountains of Libya. In one of her prophecies, she said of Flavius Metellus that "He walks in splendor in the footsteps of the Therans. A god made flesh."[7]
Modern times[]
Sometime in late-2018, Layla Hassan and her team traveled to Thera aboard the Altaïr II. Layla dove underwater and swam the rest of the way to find the secret entrance to Atlantis, where she met Kassandra, who gave her the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus.[8]
Behind the scenes[]
Historically, people lived on Thera during the Peloponnesian War, in a settlement now known as Ancient Thera on the island's southeastern area.[9] The Minoan Ruins on Thera may be intended to represent the Minoan city of Akrotiri, although the historical city was on the larger surrounding island to the south.[10] The Greek archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos discovered Akrotiri and speculated that the city's destruction by a volcano may have been an inspiration for the story of Atlantis; almost fittingly, the Gateway to the Lost City is found beneath the in-game ruins.[11]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Friedrich, Walter L; Kromer, Brend; et al. "Santorini Eruption Radiocarbon Dated to 1627–1600 B.C." Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 28 April 2006. Accessed 1 July 2018
- ↑ Höflmayer, Felix. "The Date of the Minoan Santorini Eruption: Quantifying the 'Offset'". Radiocarbon. American Journal of Science, 2012.
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Family's Legacy
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Atlantis Destroyed
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins – Pompeius Magnus
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins – Halo of the Huntress
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Modern day
- ↑
Thera on Wikipedia
- ↑ Akrotiri (prehistoric city) on Wikipedia
- ↑ Minoan_eruption on Wikipedia
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||