The Cyclades are a group of islands in the southern part of the Aegean Sea. The remains of an ancient civilization that existed more than 4,000 years ago and is one of the oldest in the world were found on the island of Santorini, known as Thera or Akrotiri in Ancient times. The ancient inhabitants of Akrotiri were skilled sailors and sailed across the Mediterranean. The remains of several-storey buildings, of palaces decorated by colourful frescoes, delicate amphorae and earthen vessels in which ancient people kept their olive oil, wheat and wine have been found on the island. The civilization of Akrotiri was destroyed by a volcano that erupted on the island splitting it in two and burying it under several meters of ashes. However, the ashes preserved the buildings almost intact so visiting the Island of Santorini today you can slip back in time and imagine the life that went on there thousands of years ago.