1640 B.C. the volcano of Santorini island destroyed one of the first European high-cultures - the Minoans. In mythology that island is often connencted with the sunken island of "Atlantis". Later in 230 B.C. the eruption of the Methana-Volcano near Athens was described by wellknown ancient writers like Ovid, Pausanias and Strabon. Greece was always a place of high active volcanoes and a ideal place for studying them. The eruptions of Santorini island until 1950 attracted many geologists and even today there are many research projects going on.