THERA, an island in the Grecian Archipelago, and the chief of the Sporades. Its modern name is Santa Mira, which is usually written Santorini. It is about 86 miles in circumference, and in figure like a horse-shoe. When it first emerged from the sea, it is said to have been called Calliste : Thcrasia, a small island to the west, aud called at present by the same name, was torn away from it, according to Pliny. Volcanic action seems at one time to have been actively at work in this part of the sea. (Strube, i. 57.) Pliuy speaks of an island which arose between Thera and Therasia, to which he gives the names of Mere and Automate, and of another which appeared in his own age, called Thin. The former is now called Asprouisi, or the white island ;' the latter Kaimani, or 'the buret' Thera was originally inhabited by the Phoenicians, who are said to have been left. there by Cadmus. It was subsequently culouised by a mixed colony of Minyaus and Spartans (Herod., iv. 147, 14S), and always remained faithful to its mother-city Sparta. Thera founded the colony of Cyrano in Africa, under the guidance of Battus, in Ise. 631.
(Herod., iv. 150, &c.) In the present day the island is covered with pumice-stone ; and though the soil is dry and barren, it produces a large qunutity of cotton and wine. The wino is strong, aud is exported to all parts of the Archipelago. There is no wood in the island. They have hardly any cattle, aud very little fruit except grapes, and there is only one spring in the island. It contains a few castles, surrounded by some houses; but the majority of the inhabitants live underground in caves cut out of the pumice-stone, which are arched over with very light atones of a reddish colour. The island has a very desolate appearance, the coast being craggy and rugged, and the rocks burnt and scorched. It has only one harbour, in the shape of a halfenoon ; but no ship can anchor in it, as no bottom has yet been found by the plumb-line.
The inhabitants number about 13,000; they are under a Greek and a Catholic bishop.