Not far from the capital of Greece, the legendary Athens, on the southern tip of Attica, is the legendary Cape Sounion. The history of this place can be traced from ancient times and is closely connected with the legends of ancient centuries. The first mention of Cape Sounion is found in the famous Odyssey of Homer.
How to get
How to get from Athens to Cape Sounion? It is better to choose a car trip. You can easily rent a car anywhere in Greece. The road runs along many picturesque beaches of the Aegean Sea and, if desired, you can stop at any of them to relax. And along the road there are colorful cafes and restaurants serving local dishes.
Another option to get to Cape Sounion will be a trip on a local bus, the route of which runs along southern Attica. The bus makes several stops along the way. The road itself will take about an hour. There is one drawback: the bus does not run in the evening. If you decide to watch the legendary sunset on the background of the temple of Poseidon, you will have to get back by local taxi.
Legends of the cape
Fishermen have settled in this picturesque place since ancient times, whose well-being was directly dependent on the vagaries of the changing sea. And therefore, the Greek legends of Cape Sounion are also inextricably linked with the sea.
Since ancient times, there is a sad legend about the origin of the name of the Aegean Sea. During excursions in Greece, they tell how much the elderly king of Athens, Aegeus, was worried about the fate of his brave son Theseus. The young man went to the neighboring island of Crete to save his fellow tribesmen from a terrible fate - to be sacrificed to the monster Minotaur. The ship on which Aegeus' son sailed to Crete went under mourning black sails, and if Theseus succeeded, they had to be replaced with snow-white.
But young Theseus, who had successfully defeated the formidable enemy, had forgotten his promise, and the ship was still returning under black sails. Seeing this, King Aegeus did not wait for the terrible news and threw himself into the sea with grief.
It is believed that since then the sea, on the shore of which the tragedy occurred, has received the name of the Aegean. But the cape gained its fame not only thanks to this legend.
Temple of Poseidon
In ancient times, two majestic religious buildings were erected on a small territorial cape. The temples at Cape Sounion, dedicated to the deities of the Greek pantheon, were known far beyond the borders of ancient Attica.
The temple, erected in honor of the terrible deity of the seas, Poseidon, was built on a high cliff, from which a panorama of the entire coast opened. Historians admit that the architect who created this temple was also the author of the famous temple of Hephaestus in Athens.
In those days, a huge temple with snow-white marble columns was a guide for sailors sailing to the shores of Attica. And local residents during the siege of the capital were looking for protection in the building.
The Temple of Poseidon was destroyed by Emperor Arkady in about 399. To date, only 16 of the 42 marble columns have been preserved. But they also give an idea of the monumentality and grandeur of the ancient sanctuary.
Also, tourists can see the remains of the architrave and frieze, which depicts the scene of the battle between the hero of Theseus and the Minotaur.
Guides conducting excursions in Greece tell about an interesting find, which is now located in the Archaeological Museum of Athens. During archaeological excavations near the temple, a huge statue of a man was found. It was dated to the 7th century. BC. Historians believe that such sculptures could be 17. Also on the territory were found several small statuettes and the remains of decorative ornaments, which were part of the decoration of the sanctuary.
When planning to make memorable photos in the background of the Poseidon temple, you need to consider that the building is fenced and is under constant protection, so you will not be able to get close to it.
Athena Temple History
The sanctuary, built in honor of the goddess Athena, was located at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level. For the construction of the temple of the patron goddess of the capital, the ancient Greeks chose the part where the ancient place of worship of the gods was located.
To date, only a few foundation stones, the remains of a column and a small fragment of the roof have survived from this magnificent structure. Based on these remains, historians have determined that the temple was built from the same marble that was used to build the temple of Poseidon. Time turned out to be ruthless to this once significant religious building.
Make a wish at sunset
In addition to visiting archaeological sites, tourists from all over the world are attracted to Cape Sounion by fantastic beauty of sunsets over the sea.
Local residents tell a legend according to which a wish made at sunset near the ruins of the temple will certainly come true.
Toward evening, the flow of tourists wishing to enjoy the beauty of the sunset over the Aegean Sea is significantly increasing. If you get to Cape Sounion by bus, in the evening there may be problems with the return road to Athens. In cloudless weather from the edge of Sounion you can see the neighboring islands and even the distant Peloponnese.
Travel Tips
Cape Sounion can be reached by two different roads, and each of them is interesting in its own way. You can drive through the Saronic Gulf - along the picturesque coastal areas of the capital. And you can get through the mountain, having examined along the way the caves of Pini, known for their stalactites and stalagmites.
A visit to the temple of Poseidon is paid, cost 4 euros. The temple is open from 8.30 in the morning until sunset. In the winter months (from November to the end of March) it will be impossible to visit the attraction.
Traveling along Cape Sounion, you can also see the remains of an ancient defensive wall that stretched along the perimeter of the cape and, according to archaeologists, was at least 500 meters in length. Nearby are the ruins of the dwellings of the first settlers of the island, mainly fishermen and farmers.
It will be interesting to visit the unique Vouliagmeni lake, whose water temperature does not change throughout the year. It is located in a very picturesque area, among olive groves and orchards.
The bottom of this lake is a complex system of karst caves and passages. Due to the nearby thermal springs, the water of this lake is considered to be healing, on the shore there are hospitals that accept patients with various diseases.