Temple of Poseidon

Cape Sounion

This is theTemple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Although Athena is the patron god of Athens, Poseidon is a close second for most worshiped, because of how important the sea was to the Athenians. There is a story about how Athena and Posiden competed for patronage of Athens and it goes like this. The contest was to see who could offer the most valuable gift to the people of Athens. Athena offered the olive tree as her gift and Poseidon gave the Athenians the sea. The people of Athens chose Athena as the winner. Although Athena won patronage, Poseidon remains important to them as they relied on the sea for trade for their economy.

This was one of my favorite places that we visited, because of the overall site. Something I learned was that the ancient Greeks built their temples in very strategic places. They put them in places of great natural beauty, because it is in these places they could imagine the gods being. For this reason I see why there is a temple dedicated to Posiden built at Cape Sounion, because the view of the sea is just beautiful! This picture I am especially proud of because it captures the shadow of the temple caused by the gorgeous sunset.