Description by location in Greece Attika Central Greece Crete Cyclades Dodecanese Epirus Ionian Islands Macedonia N. E. Aegean Islands Peloponnese Thessaly Thrace View Description for Athens Museums Destinations Europe America Africa Asia ALL SPECIAL OFFERS FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS ARE HERE Here you can make your best selections. We suggest and you choose. We wish you'll make the best choice and have the most unforgettable holidays. You are in: HomeGreeceAttikaArhaeological SitesSounion Sounion The sanctuary at Sounion is one of the most important sanctuaries in Attica. There were actually two sanctuaries on the promontory: one dedicated to Poseidon and another one dedicated to Athena, of which very few remains are extant. The first mentions on Sounion are relegated to the Greek mythology and the Odyssey. However, finds do not suggest the existence of organized cult on the site until the 7th century B.C. Sounion was not only a famous religious center of antiquity but a site of major strategic importance as well. The harbor west of the cape was used as a naval dockyard of the city-state of Athens, having the capacity of both sheltering war ships as well as controlling those ones carrying supplies to the Athenians. Temple of Poseidon The construction of the first imposing Doric temple on the site of the Sanctuary was initiated towards the beginning of the 5th century B.C. but was never completed since both the temple and the offerings was destroyed by the Persians in 480 B.C. A second temple was erected on its place about 30-40 years later, the remains of which are preserved today. It was Doric too, with 6X13 columns made of marble from the neighboring Agrileza quarry. Some scholars believe that this temple is the work of the same architect who had built the Temple of Hephaistos ("Theseion") in the Ancient Agora of Athens. An immense "Couros" (male nude statue) was found in the temple in very good condition along with pieces and fragments of other statues and is today on display at the National Archaeological Museum. Sanctuary of Athena It is situated about 500m to the northeast of the Sanctuary of Poseidon. Enclosed with a circular wall it comprised the Temple of Athena of Ionic order, another smaller temple to the north and altars. Very little of the sanctuary is preserved today, mostly pieces of the cella fundaments and statue pedestals. A peculiarity of the temple is the placement of the altar to the south. |Home| Select Country --- EUROPE --- Austria Cyprus Czech Republic France Germany Greece Italy Malta Monaco Netherlands Slovak Republic Spain Turkey U.K --- AMERIKA --- Argentina Brazil Mexico Uruguay U.S.A --- AFRICA --- Egypt --- ASIA --- U.A.Emirates   View all Hotels in Attika Sounion Map of Attica 4 your Holidays Tour Greece Car Rental Special Offers Cruises Contact us info@4holidays.gr 4holidays.gr   :::   All Rights Reserved © 2002 - 2008