On a magnificent site above the Aegean Sea, Thira was once a Hellenistic garrison town. Founded in the 9C BC, it reached the height of its importance under the Egyptian Ptolemies (305-30 BC), who had established a naval base here. But it declined under the Romans and was abandoned in the 13C. The ruins include the Temenos of Artemidoros, the agora, the Temple of Apollo and the sanctuary of the Egyptian gods.