Location: 69 km (43 mi) South- east of Athens Map
Tel. 22920 39363
Open: 9am- sunset daily
The Sounion Archaeological Site, located at Cape Sounion (also spelled Sounio) in Greece, is renowned primarily for the ancient Temple of Poseidon, perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea. Situated about 69 kilometers southeast of Athens at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula, this site marks a strategic and symbolic point where land meets sea, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the Saronic Gulf and nearby islands. The temple, dedicated to Poseidon—the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses—serves as a testament to ancient Athenian maritime power and religious devotion. Its location was not accidental; it acted as a visible landmark for sailors approaching or departing from Attica's harbors, symbolizing protection over sea voyages and trade routes. The site encompasses remnants of ancient sanctuaries, fortifications, and other structures, enveloped in layers of myth, history, and natural beauty, making it one of Greece's most picturesque archaeological destinations.
1. By Public Bus (Most Affordable Option)
The KTEL Attikis
operates suburban buses from Athens to Sounion. This is a
budget-friendly and scenic choice, especially the coastal route, which
hugs the shoreline and takes about 2 hours. The inland route is slightly
faster but less picturesque.
Starting Point: The bus departs from
the KTEL Attikis terminal near Pedion Areos Park (also known as Egyptou
Square or Platia Aigyptou), close to the National Archaeological Museum
in central Athens. It's accessible via metro (Victoria Station on Line
1) or trolleybus.
Schedule: In November (off-season), buses run less
frequently than in summer—typically 2-4 times per day. Example
departures from Athens include 10:30 AM and 15:00 PM (coastal route),
with returns from Sounion around 13:45 PM and 18:00 PM. Full schedules
vary by day and season; check the official KTEL Attikis website for the
latest.
Cost: €4-7 one-way (cash or card accepted on board or at the
terminal).
Tips: Buses drop off directly at the archaeological site
entrance. No advance booking is usually needed, but arrive early during
peak times. If you're in Glyfada or other southern suburbs, some buses
stop there en route.
2. By Rental Car (Most Flexible Option)
Driving gives you freedom to stop at beaches or viewpoints along the
way.
Route: Take the Athens-Sounion coastal road (Leoforos
Posidonos and then Route 91). It's about 65 km and takes 1-1.5 hours,
depending on traffic. There may be small tolls (€2-3 total).
Cost:
Gas and tolls around €10-15 round-trip, plus rental fees (starting at
€20-40/day for a compact car via sites like Rentalcars.com).
Tips:
Parking is available at the site (free or low-cost). Use GPS apps like
Google Maps for real-time directions. International driver's permit
recommended if your license isn't in Greek or English.
3. By Taxi
or Ride-Share
Convenient for groups or if you want door-to-door
service.
Duration: About 1 hour.
Cost: €90-110 one-way via
standard taxi; slightly less with apps like Uber or Beat (if available).
Return trips can be arranged with the driver or booked separately.
Tips: Taxis are yellow in Athens; agree on a flat rate in advance to
avoid surprises. Private transfers via services like Welcome Pickups can
include English-speaking drivers.
4. By Organized Tour (Easiest
for First-Timers)
If you prefer guided commentary and no planning
hassle, join a half-day tour.
Options: Many companies offer trips
departing from central Athens (e.g., Omonoia Square or hotels), often
timed for sunset. Examples include bus tours with audio guides or
small-group vans.
Duration: 4-5 hours round-trip.
Cost: €40-100
per person, depending on inclusions (entry fees, snacks, etc.). Site
entrance is extra (€10/adult, reduced in winter).
Tips: Book via
sites like GetYourGuide, Viator, or Expedia. Some include stops at
nearby beaches.
Ancient Origins and Mythological Foundations
Human presence at
Sounion traces back to the Mycenaean period (circa 1600–1100 BC), with
evidence of a circular temenos (sacred precinct) north of the cape,
including a sacred grove and burial mound. Votive offerings such as
arrowheads, weapons, clay and bronze figurines suggest an early warrior
cult linked to chthonic deities. Artifacts like Cycladic statuettes and
Mycenaean seals further indicate prehistoric activity. By around 700 BC,
archaeological finds confirm organized settlement and religious
practices.
The site is steeped in Greek mythology. Homer's Odyssey
(Book III, lines 278–285) first mentions "Holy Sounion, Cape of Athens,"
describing how King Menelaus of Sparta cremated his helmsman Phrontis
there after his death while rounding the cape during the return from
Troy. This tied the location to funeral rites and divine intervention.
Another prominent legend involves King Aegeus of Athens, who leapt from
the cliffs in despair upon seeing black sails on his son Theseus' ship,
mistakenly believing Theseus had perished in his quest against the
Minotaur in Crete; this tragedy led to the Aegean Sea being named in
Aegeus' honor. Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, was
central to the site's worship—sailors offered sacrifices to appease him
and ensure safe voyages, reflecting his dominion over storms and tides.
The cape also hosted quadrennial festivals by the 6th century BC, where
Athenian leaders sailed in sacred boats to honor the gods.
Construction and Architectural Development
The Archaic period saw the
establishment of key structures. An early Temple of Poseidon, built of
tufa around 500–490 BC, featured votive offerings like the Sounion
Kouros (a colossal marble statue circa 600 BC). Nearby, the Temple of
Athena Souniados was constructed around 470 BC on a low hill 300 meters
northeast, with an unusual Ionic design featuring colonnades only on the
southern and eastern sides; it replaced a 6th-century BC predecessor and
was adjacent to a peribolos (enclosure) possibly honoring Phrontis or
Artemis.
These early temples were destroyed in 480 BC by Persian
forces under Xerxes I during their invasion of Greece. Reconstruction
occurred during Athens' Golden Age under Pericles. The new Temple of
Poseidon, built between 444–440 BC, was a hexastyle Doric edifice with
34 columns (15 surviving today) made of white marble from the nearby
Agrileza quarry. Designed possibly by Ictinus (architect of the Temple
of Hephaestus), it included a windowless naos housing a 6-meter bronze
statue of Poseidon and friezes depicting Theseus and the Battle of
Centaurs. The columns, slender at the top for an illusion of height,
were engineered to endure coastal winds. Access was via a Propylaea
(gateway) with Doric columns, steps, and a ramp, alongside banquet rooms
and stoas.
The site's fortifications were added in 413–412 BC during
the Peloponnesian War to protect grain shipments and counter Spartan
threats, enclosing over 3.5 hectares with three-meter-thick walls, 13
towers, and a naval base with shipsheds for two triremes carved into the
bedrock. A self-sufficient settlement nearby included houses on a grid
plan, cisterns, and beehives. Later, in the late 2nd century BC, smaller
sanctuaries to Asclepius and Ianiskos (god of malaria) were added,
likely due to marshy conditions.
Historical Significance and Key
Events
Sounion's deme status within Athens' Leontis tribe and its
Laurium mines made it economically vital, with its wealth becoming
proverbial. After the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC, Athenians dedicated a
captured Phoenician trireme there as a trophy to Poseidon. The bay
hosted regattas honoring the god, and the site served as a beacon for
sailors navigating the Saronic Gulf.
During the Peloponnesian War, it
was a key fortress, but fell briefly to rebel slaves from the mines.
Repairs occurred during the Chremonidean War (266–261 BC). In the 3rd
century BC, Macedonians under the Antigonids reinforced the walls and
added shipsheds, but Athens recaptured it in 229 BC. By the 4th century
BC, declining mines led to reduced importance; the Temple of Athena was
dismantled in the 1st century AD, its columns reused in Athens' Agora.
The site decayed by Roman times, though its columns aided navigation,
earning the name "Capo Colonne."
Decline, Rediscovery, and
Archaeological Excavations
By the 1st century BC, sanctuaries were
largely abandoned, with commercial shifts to eastern Mediterranean ports
accelerating the decline. Traveler Pausanias (2nd century AD) visited
but misidentified the Temple of Poseidon as Athena's. Early modern
accounts appear in 17th–19th century travelogues by figures like G.
Wheler (1676), Lady Mary Wortley Montague (1718), and Edward Dodwell
(1805). Lord Byron visited in 1810–1811, carving his name (though
unconfirmed) and referencing the site in Don Juan as "Sunium’s marbled
steep."
Systematic excavations began in the late 19th century, with
major discoveries in 1906, including the Sounion Kouros and Archaic
statue fragments in pits east of the Poseidon temple, likely discarded
after Persian destruction. Pits southeast of Athena's temenos yielded
offerings from the invasion era. The fortress walls, towers, barracks,
and trireme ramps have been mapped, revealing a self-sufficient
community. Artifacts, including sculptures and friezes, are now in
museums like the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the
British Museum. A 2006 marine geoarchaeological survey explored
underwater features in Sounion Gulf.
Modern Preservation and
Cultural Legacy
Established as Sounio National Park in 1974 (750
hectares), the site underwent arrangement projects in 2011–2013,
co-funded by the EU and Greece's Ministry of Culture. It attracts
tourists for sunset views, day trips from Athens, and nearby amenities
like the Grecotel Cape Sounio resort (built 1973). Philosophers like
Martin Heidegger (1962) and statesmen like Winston Churchill have
visited, cementing its poetic and historical allure. Sounion continues
to embody ancient Greece's blend of myth, architecture, and strategy,
preserved for future generations.
The Temple of Poseidon exemplifies Classical Greek architecture in
the Doric order, built primarily from coarse-grained white marble
quarried at nearby Agrileza (also called Agrilesa). It is a peripteral
temple with a hexastyle facade—six columns at each short end and
thirteen on each long side—totaling 34 columns, though only 13 remain
standing today, with four on the north side reconstructed in the 1950s.
Each column stands about 6.1 meters (20 feet) tall and 1 meter (3 feet)
in diameter at the base, uniquely featuring 16 flutes instead of the
standard 20, a trait shared with other seaside temples like the Temple
of Aphaea on Aegina, possibly to reduce erosion from salt and wind.
The stylobate (platform) measures 31.1 by 13.4 meters, supported by a
crepidoma (stepped base) that incorporates remnants of the Archaic
limestone foundation, visible at the southeast corner with claw-tooth
chisel marks and fire discoloration. The interior layout includes a naos
(cella) housing a colossal 6-meter bronze statue of Poseidon (now lost),
a pronaos (front porch), and an opisthodomos (rear porch). The ceilings
were innovative: slot-type on the flanks with marble beams and slabs,
and coffer-type on the porches, similar to the Hephaisteion. The metopes
are plain and undecorated, but the pronaos featured a continuous Ionic
frieze of Parian marble, depicting eroded scenes possibly of
centauromachy (battle of Centaurs and Lapiths), gigantomachy (battle of
gods and giants), and the labors of Theseus. The pediments had a shallow
12.5-degree pitch (versus the usual 15 degrees) and were adorned with
sculptures, though only fragments like a seated female figure survive.
The temple's design aligns closely with contemporaries like the
Hephaisteion and the Temple of Nemesis at Rhamnous, suggesting a shared
architect, evidenced by features such as porch columns aligning with the
third peristyle column. The overall plan was adjusted from an initial
6x12 to 6x13 columns for better proportions. Surrounding elements
include a peribolos enclosure, propylaea gateway, and stoas, enhancing
its sanctuary function.
As a beacon of Athenian sea power, the temple underscored Athens'
naval supremacy in the 5th century BC, particularly after the Persian
Wars. Its elevated position—about 60 meters above sea level—made it a
literal and metaphorical landmark for mariners, invoking Poseidon's
protection for safe voyages and prosperous trade, crucial for a
seafaring city-state. The site's proximity to the silver mines of Lavrio
further tied it to economic prosperity, with offerings likely funded by
mining wealth. It also served defensive purposes, monitoring sea lanes
against enemies and marking Attica's southern border.
Mythologically,
Sounion is steeped in legends: King Aegeus leaped to his death here upon
mistakenly believing his son Theseus had perished fighting the Minotaur,
thus naming the Aegean Sea; King Menelaus' ship paused at the cape
returning from Troy; and the temple was built to honor Poseidon while
safeguarding Lavrio's mining profits. These stories blend with
historical reverence, as noted by ancient writers like Strabo and
Pausanias. Artifacts, including kouroi now in the National
Archaeological Museum of Athens and sculptures in the Lavrio Museum
depicting Theseus' labors, centaurs, and giants, highlight its role in
mythological narratives.
Today, the site attracts visitors for its historical value and stunning sunsets, often viewed with the temple framing the sea. Open from 9:30 AM until sunset, admission is €20 (full) or €10 (reduced), with free entry on select dates like March 6, April 18, and October 28. It's accessible by car along the scenic coastal route from Athens or by KTEL bus. Nearby amenities include beaches for swimming (e.g., at Legrena or Lavrio) and tavernas serving fresh seafood. Preservation efforts continue, focusing on the remaining columns and foundations, though challenges like erosion persist due to its exposed location.