Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Cycladic civilisation, with its sophisticated urban settlements, incredible frescos and artfully crafted pottery, flourished in the Aegean during the Bronze Age. Akrotiri on Santorini (Thera) was one such town and played an important role in regional copper production and trade. In the Middle Bronze Age, Santorini's volcanic eruption buried Akrotiri, preserving much of the town under the thick layers of ash. Amazing artefacts have been recovered from the site, along with buildings and frescos. However, a series of mysterious objects, which have also been found at other Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean sites, have baffled experts.
These hundreds of tiny stone spheres were found inside buildings, as well as in open-air parts of the settlement. No clear function could be determined from the contexts in which they were excavated so experts have put forward a number of suggestions over the years. Were they a counting system? Did they play a role in a board game? Or maybe they were for throwing and catching? In this video I discuss the latest study on the stone spheres which lends weight to a previous hypothesis on their function. Join me as I look into this wonderful archaeological site!
#ancienthistory #mediterranean #santorini
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Bronze Age Akrotiri
04:40 Lithic Spheres
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ REFERENCES
Fernée, C.L. and Trimmis, K.P., 2022. The rolling stones of Bronze Age Aegean: Applying machine learning to explore the use of lithic spheres from Akrotiri, Thera. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 45.
Antanovskii, R. (2022). 'Debate still rages over date of Thera eruption at ancient Akrotiri,’ Heritage Daily, 5 March. Available at: heritagedaily.com/2020/03/debate-still-rages-over-date-of-thera-eruption/66777
✨ MUSIC CREDIT
Music I Use: bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: YD3SKFJMVNDTLWEX
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
Google Earth
Location of Santorini
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Akrotiri, credit: Christos Koudounis
Akrotiri broken steps, credit: Christos Koudounis
Storage containers, credit: Dimitrios Nikolopoulos
Spring fresco, credit: Zde
CC BY 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Some of the spheres, credit: Fernée, C. L. Figure 2 in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Jug with spiral decoration, credit: Zde
Slab with cup-marks from Malia, Crete, credit: Nikater
CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Social media page: Pottery at Akrotiri
Akrotiri, credit: Olaf Tausch
Large jar, credit: Olaf Tausch
CC BY-SA 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5
Plan of Akrotiri, credit: Maximilian Dörrbecker
CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Golden goat figurine, credit: Nadia Prigoda
Public domain
Thumbnail: Saffron collector
Other
Slab from Gournia Palace, credit: Hood, 1989.
Slab from Mallia Palace, credit: Andrea Arcà, 2015.
Slab from Phaistos Palace, credit: Nicola Cucuzza, 2010.
The Cycladic civilisation, with its sophisticated urban settlements, incredible frescos and artfully crafted pottery, flourished in the Aegean during the Bronze Age. Akrotiri on Santorini (Thera) was one such town and played an important role in regional copper production and trade. In the Middle Bronze Age, Santorini's volcanic eruption buried Akrotiri, preserving much of the town under the thick layers of ash. Amazing artefacts have been recovered from the site, along with buildings and frescos. However, a series of mysterious objects, which have also been found at other Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean sites, have baffled experts.
These hundreds of tiny stone spheres were found inside buildings, as well as in open-air parts of the settlement. No clear function could be determined from the contexts in which they were excavated so experts have put forward a number of suggestions over the years. Were they a counting system? Did they play a role in a board game? Or maybe they were for throwing and catching? In this video I discuss the latest study on the stone spheres which lends weight to a previous hypothesis on their function. Join me as I look into this wonderful archaeological site!
#ancienthistory #mediterranean #santorini
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Bronze Age Akrotiri
04:40 Lithic Spheres
✨ JOIN MY CHANNEL
youtube.com/channel/UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKA/join
✨ REFERENCES
Fernée, C.L. and Trimmis, K.P., 2022. The rolling stones of Bronze Age Aegean: Applying machine learning to explore the use of lithic spheres from Akrotiri, Thera. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 45.
Antanovskii, R. (2022). 'Debate still rages over date of Thera eruption at ancient Akrotiri,’ Heritage Daily, 5 March. Available at: heritagedaily.com/2020/03/debate-still-rages-over-date-of-thera-eruption/66777
✨ MUSIC CREDIT
Music I Use: bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: YD3SKFJMVNDTLWEX
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
Google Earth
Location of Santorini
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Akrotiri, credit: Christos Koudounis
Akrotiri broken steps, credit: Christos Koudounis
Storage containers, credit: Dimitrios Nikolopoulos
Spring fresco, credit: Zde
CC BY 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Some of the spheres, credit: Fernée, C. L. Figure 2 in the paper referenced above.
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Jug with spiral decoration, credit: Zde
Slab with cup-marks from Malia, Crete, credit: Nikater
CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Social media page: Pottery at Akrotiri
Akrotiri, credit: Olaf Tausch
Large jar, credit: Olaf Tausch
CC BY-SA 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5
Plan of Akrotiri, credit: Maximilian Dörrbecker
CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Golden goat figurine, credit: Nadia Prigoda
Public domain
Thumbnail: Saffron collector
Other
Slab from Gournia Palace, credit: Hood, 1989.
Slab from Mallia Palace, credit: Andrea Arcà, 2015.
Slab from Phaistos Palace, credit: Nicola Cucuzza, 2010.
