Olive leaves preserved in volcanic ash, Thera Island (Santorini), Greece, c. 3600 BP. The eruption in Thera was one of the largest Plinian eruptions in the past 10k years, with around 30–40 cubic kilometres. It covered the remains of the island in a thick layer of pumice and ash… [1920×1080] [OC]

…Around 1600 BCE, a disastrous earthquake, followed by a volcanic eruption, covered the city of Akrotiri in the island of Thera in a thick layer of pumice and ash, which resulted in the remarkable conservation of many elements of the Theran civilization -including these leaves- from multiple buildings, streets and orchards throughout the town.

The volcanic eruption on the island of Thera was one of the largest Plinian eruptions in the past 10,000 years. An eruption of this size would have most likely generated a tsunami over 100ft tall, travelling across the Aegean Sea and decimating populations in its path. The size of this eruption had far-reaching impacts on the environment and Civilization in the region, primarily the Minoans.

Thera is the best-known Minoan site outside Crete, homeland of the culture. The island was not known as Thera at this time. Only the southern tip of the large town of Akrotiri has been uncovered, yet it has revealed complexes of multi-level buildings, streets, and squares with remains of walls standing as high as 24ft, all entombed in the solidified ash of the eruption. The site was not a palace-complex as found in Crete nor was it a conglomeration of merchant warehousing. Its excellent masonry and fine wall-paintings reveal a complex community. A loom-workshop suggests organized textile weaving for export. This Bronze Age civilization thrived between 3000 and 2000 BC, reaching its peak in the period between 2000 and 1630 BC.

Thera is regarded as part of the Minoan world, although the culture of Thera was somewhat different from that of Crete, and the political relationship between the two islands at the time is unclear.

As usual, my apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.