Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

Thursday, 9 July 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Cape Sounion with Temple of Poseidon © Kuno Lechner/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cape Sounion with Temple of Poseidon © Kuno Lechner/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cape Sounion is a promontory located 69 kilometres (43 mi) south-southeast of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece. Apart from a world-renowned archaeological site, Sounion is an upscale summer home location for Athenians. Construction flourished between the 1960s and 1970s, with massive yet minimal villas and condos erected. Sounion is one of the most expensive areas in Greece, with the value of some homes exceeding twenty million euros.

Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an ancient Greek temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology. The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. The ruins bear the deeply engraved name of English Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824). The site is a popular day-excursion for tourists from Athens, with sunset over the Aegean Sea, as viewed from the ruins, a sought-after spectacle.

Temple of Poseidon © Nikthestoned/cc-by-sa-3.0 Temple of Poseidon © flickr.com - batintherain/cc-by-sa-2.0 Temple of Poseidon © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0 Cape Sounion © flickr.com - Adam Sofen/cc-by-2.0 Cape Sounion with Temple of Poseidon © Adam Carr/cc-by-sa-3.0 Cape Sounion with Temple of Poseidon © Kuno Lechner/cc-by-sa-3.0
<
>
Cape Sounion with Temple of Poseidon © Kuno Lechner/cc-by-sa-3.0
Ancient Greek religion was essentially propitiatory in nature, i.e., based on the notion that to avoid misfortune, one must constantly seek the favour of the relevant gods by prayers, gifts and sacrifices. To the ancient Greek, every natural feature, e.g. hill, lake, stream or wood, was controlled by a god. A person about to swim in a river, for example, would say a prayer to the river-god, or make an offering to that god’s shrine, to avoid the chance of drowning. The gods were considered immortal and could change shape, become invisible and travel anywhere instantaneously. But in many other respects they were considered similar to humans. They shared the whole range of human emotions, both positive and negative. Thus, in their attitudes towards humans, they could be both benevolent and malicious. Also like humans, they had family and clan hierarchies. They could even mate with humans, and produce demi-gods.

In a maritime country like Greece, the god of the sea occupied a high position in the divine hierarchy. In power, Poseidon was considered second only to Zeus (Jupiter), the supreme god himself. His implacable wrath, manifested in the form of storms, was greatly feared by all mariners. In an age without mechanical power, storms very frequently resulted in shipwrecks and drownings. The temple at Cape Sounion, Attica, therefore, was a venue where mariners, and also entire cities or states, could propitiate Poseidon by making animal sacrifice or leaving gifts.

Read more on LonelyPlanet.com – Temple of Poseidon and Wikipedia Kap Sounion. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Theme Week Turkey - Göreme in Cappadocia

Theme Week Turkey - Göreme in Cappadocia

[caption id="attachment_163625" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © MusikAnimal/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Göreme, located among the "fairy chimney" rock formations, is a town in Cappadocia, a historical region of Turkey. It is in the Nevşehir Province in Central Anatolia and has a population of around 2,000 people. The Göreme National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. Former names of the town have been Korama, Matiana, Maccan or Machan, and Avcilar. When Göreme Valley nearby was d...

[ read more ]

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon

[caption id="attachment_231334" align="alignnone" width="590"] Main entrance © Gabinho/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass. Initially an amateur event that occupied club members and their friends for a few days each summer, the championships have become ...

[ read more ]

Theme Week San Francisco - Pacific Heights

Theme Week San Francisco - Pacific Heights

[caption id="attachment_162506" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Fillmore Street © Christopher Beland[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Pacific Heights is an affluent neighborhood of San Francisco, which is known for the notable people who reside in the area. It is located in one of the most scenic and park-like settings in Northern California, offering panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz and the Presidio. Its location provides a temperate micro-climate that is clearer, but no...

[ read more ]

Dubai Opera

Dubai Opera

[caption id="attachment_201484" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © flickr.com - Greger Ravik/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Dubai Opera is a 2,000-seat, multi-format, performing arts centre, which is located within The Opera District in Downtown Dubai. It was developed by Emaar Properties to host a variety of performances and events including theatre, opera, ballet, concerts, conferences and exhibitions. Its plans were announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in March 2012 and it was completed in 2016. It open...

[ read more ]

Boston, the birthplace of America

Boston, the birthplace of America

[caption id="attachment_6960" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Downtown Skyline © Nelson48[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Boston is the capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its largest city, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was named Boston by early settlers from Boston, Lincolnshire in England. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper, covering 48.43 square ...

[ read more ]

Harvard University in Cambridge

Harvard University in Cambridge

[caption id="attachment_186166" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Harvard Law School Library in Langdell Hall at night © Chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1636 and named for clergyman John Harvard (its first benefactor), its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the world's most prestigious universities. Harvard is the United States' oldest institution of higher learning, and the Harvard Corpora...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Auvergne - Riom

Theme Week Auvergne - Riom

[caption id="attachment_236019" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Espirat/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Riom (Auvergnat: Riam) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Until the French Revolution, Riom was the capital of the province of Auvergne, and the seat of the dukes of Auvergne. The city was of Gaulish origin, the Roman Ricomagus. In the intensely feudalized Auvergne of the 10th century, the town grew up around the collegiate Chu...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Israel - Masada at the Dead Sea

Theme Week Israel - Masada at the Dead Sea

[caption id="attachment_26050" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Masada National Park © flickr.com - Ana Paula Hirama/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Masada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the ...

[ read more ]

The Pantanal Conservation Area

The Pantanal Conservation Area

[caption id="attachment_23783" align="alignleft" width="590"] © Alicia Yo/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Pantanal is one of the world's largest tropical wetland areas, and is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometres (54,000 and 75,000 sq mi). Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological char...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Corsica - Porto-Vecchio

Theme Week Corsica - Porto-Vecchio

[caption id="attachment_160201" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Nerijp[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Porto-Vecchio is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the seat of the canton of Porto-Vecchio, which it shares with Sari-Solenzara, Conca and Lecci. Port-Vecchio is a medium-sized port city placed on a good harbor, the southernmost of the marshy and alluvial east side of Corsica. The inhabitants are called Porto-Vecchiais in French, and Portivechjacciu in Corsican.[gallery siz...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
Waterfront Park from Hawthorne Bridge © Steve Morgan/cc-by-sa-3.0
Portland in Oregon

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers....

St Mary's Church © Necrothesp/cc-by-sa-3.0
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the island of Anglesey

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll is a large village and community on the island of Anglesey in Wales, situated on the Menai Strait next...

Shrine of Europe © Bene16 / Quibik
Altötting, the heart of Bavaria

Altötting is a town in Bavaria, capital of the district Altötting. This small town is famous for the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel...

Schließen