Temple of Poseidon
Listed under Temples in Central Greece, Greece.
Only about half the columns remain of the Temple of Poseidon (god of the sea) on the end of Cape Sounion, but what makes this special is the fact it overlooks the Aegean, and the sunsets are spectacular here. This 5th Century BC temple is a popular day trip from Athens - but if you are here off season and early in the morning you could have the place to yourself, when it becomes magical.
This cape marks the spot, in mythology, where Aegeus, king of Athens, leapt to his death into the sea that was subsequently named after him. He was watching out for his son Theseus's return from Crete, where he had been battling the monstrous Minotaur. Theseus had arranged with his father that if he was victorious he would hoist a white sail. Unfortunately forgetful Theseus, though he had slain the beast, had forgotten the white sail. The ship was sailing under a more normal black one, and on seeing this on the horizon, his despairing father threw himself onto the rocks below.
You can see Lord Byron's signature carved deeply into the stone of the temple here.
Written by 
James Dunford Wood.
Comments, reviews and questions by other travellers
There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?
Who's been here
Similar Experiences
The Pantheon
Nothing less than a global icon, Rome's noble Pantheon was built during the beginning of the 2nd Century and its powerful Class…
Great Living Chola Temples
These three great temples were built during the Chola rule of southern India, which continued until the 13th Century. The Airav…
Angkor Wat
There are two great complexes of ancient temples in Southeast Asia, one at Bagan in Burma, the other at Angkor in Cambodia. The…
Nearby Experiences
Acropolis Museum
On the site of the Acropolis itself, this discreet building houses a magnificent collection of art and sculpture primarily dedi…
New Acropolis Museum
As the Acropplis Museum filled quickly in the 20th Century and discovery after discovery was made it became more and more clear…
Acropolis
Not the only acropolis in Greece, this is the one people are generally referring to, a plateau of rock on which to build the gr…
