Santorini is romantically linked to the lost Atlantis, meaning it was the central part of the island that was lost at sea. Around 1500 BC, the first major volcanic eruption in the history of the island took place. The residents had apparently been notified earlier to leave the circular island and were thus saved from the blast.
Mythology says that the eruption of the Santorini volcano is described by the myth of Phaethon, son of the Sun and Klymeni, who asked his father for permission to ride his chariot. However, he failed to control the wild horses of the chariot, resulting in a change of course with disastrous results. Then Zeus intervened and unleashed his thunderbolts on Phaethon, so that he could stop the chariot.
