Cape Sounio and the temple of Poseidon

Sounio is a rocky cape located at the southernmost point of Attica. It was the first point one saw when sailing from the Cyclades to Piraeus. Sounio is first mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey who describes it as the sacred cape of the Athenians. From the rock of Sounio the mythical Aegeus, king of Athens, when he saw that the ship that had transported his son Theseus (along with 6 other young men and 7 young women from Athens) to Crete in order for him to kill the Minotaur and free the city of Athens, from the blood tax to which Minos had condemned her, returning in black sails thought that Theseus was dead and in his despair and grief fell into the sea and was killed. Since then the sea has been called the Aegean Sea.

In the golden age of Pericles and while the construction of the Parthenon on the Acropolis was underway in Athens, in 444 BC the construction of a magnificent temple, mainly of marble, started on the cape of Sounio, which was completed in 440 BC and dedicated to the god of the sea, Poseidon. They especially honored this particular god given the extraordinary importance that the navy and maritime trade had for Athens for the development but also the survival and sovereignty of the city at that time.

Works for the consolidation and restoration of the temple have been carried out since 1875. The current image of the temple was formed in the 1950s after the interventions by the Archaeological Service under the responsibility of the architect-archaeologist Anastasios Orlandos, researcher of the monument.

The site and the holy temple are open to visitors throughout the year. It is an ideal destination for both archaeological tours and nature lovers. And don’t miss to stay until the sun goes down to enjoy a magnificent sunset.