This paper explores the probability of a causal relationship between the eruption of the volcano on the Aegean island of Santorini, sometime in the 2 nd millennium BCE, and the collapse of one of the foremost civilisations of the Bronze Age Mediterranean, that of the Minoans on Crete. Countless papers in the hard sciences have discussed the absolute date, size, nature, potential tsunami generation, climatic effects and various other types of accompanying hazards of this eruption, while, from an early stage of Minoan archaeology onwards, its role within the breakdown process of Cretan society in the 15 th c. BCE was considered. Unfortunately, the discussion has also been tainted with references to mythological catastrophes as those of Atlantis, Deucalion's Flood, Talos and the seven plagues of Egypt. While the relative date of the Santorini eruption is securely established, with the event happening in a ceramic period called 'advanced Late Minoan IA', discussions continue on its absolute date. This said, the widespread fire destruction levels that typify the end of most Cretan settlements belong to a somewhat later period, Late Minoan IB, and three generations may have passed between the eruption and the end of the wave of fire destructions. This temporal lapse, the limited archaeological visibility of eruption-related phenomena and the paucity of eruption-related traces in Cretan palaeoenvironmental archives (preventing an appreciation of its environmental impacts) has led scholars to downplay the impact of this catastrophic event on contemporary societies. By paying particular attention to resilience and potential catastrophe-induced psychological effects as reflected by the archaeological record, this paper reconsiders some of the major changes that can be identified in the material record of the phase following the eruption. Contrasting practices illustrating resilience following previous earthquake destructions with their absence after the eruption, we argue that the distal effects of the eruption affected the collective ethos of the Minoans , setting in motion a process of disintegration that that would lead to the collapse of Minoan society during the Late Minoan IB period. Abstract for stakeholders Disasters are foremost social phenomena and resilience can be shown to be closely linked to prior experiences of catastrophic events. Santorini Island has nowadays become a prime tourist 2 destination, as has the north coast of the island of Crete. Very little awareness of the potential danger involved seems to exist despite the fact that potential seismic, volcanic or tsunamic events continue to threaten the area. The damage and social impact of the Bronze Age eruption should be used as an example that can be instructive for local policy makers and stakeholders to put into place reliable early warning systems, emergency and evacuation procedures for residents and visitors alike in case of disasters.
