Temple of Poseidon Greece

Legendary

A magnificent Doric temple sitting high above the Aegean Sea on the cliffs of Cape Sounion.

Photo by Carole Raddato

Look closely at the column on the right as you walk in and you'll find a name carved into the marble: BYRON. The English poet Lord Byron cut it there during a visit in 1810.

He wasn't the only one. Plenty of other travelers followed his example, though nobody remembers their names.

The temple stands at Cape Sounion, the southern tip of the land around Athens, on a rocky cliff about 60 meters above the Aegean Sea. It's roughly 70 kilometers from the city.

It was built between 444 and 440 BC, during the golden age of Athens. That's the same period the Parthenon went up on the Acropolis.

The temple honored Poseidon, god of the sea. Ancient Greeks believed storms were a sign of his anger, so sailors came here to leave gifts and ask for safe voyages.

Some left tiny model ships, anchors, and oars as offerings. Others threw gifts into the sea as they sailed past.

The location made the temple useful in another way too. Its white columns could be seen from far out on the water, so it was the last piece of Athens sailors saw when they left and the first when they came home.

Builders used marble quarried in the hills of Agrileza, about four kilometers away. The temple is Doric, the plainest Greek building style, and originally had 34 columns.

These columns have a secret. Most Doric columns have 20 grooves carved down their sides, but these have only 16.

That may have been on purpose. Fewer grooves meant less surface for the salty sea air to wear away.

About 15 columns still stand today. The rest fell long ago.

A famous Greek myth is tied to this cliff. King Aegeus waited here for his son Theseus to return from Crete, and when he saw a ship with black sails, he believed his son was dead and leapt into the sea, which is how the Aegean got its name.

Get here for sunset, when the marble turns gold against the darkening sea. Hunt for Byron's carved name near the entrance. Walk to the edge of the site and look out over the water the way Athenian sailors once looked back at the temple.

Sources: Greek Ministry of Culture, Wikipedia, and Lonely Planet.