It was established as a place of worship since the prehistoric times. In Homer's Odyssey you will find it named as "Sounion Eron" and in scripts it is described as the place where Menelaos's wheelsman, Frontis, left his last breath upon their return from Troy.

Cape Sounion is the actual spot where Aegeus, king of prehistoric Athens, was waiting for his son Theseus to return victoriously cheering for his heroism by holding the dead beast in his hands. Tragically, Theseus had forgotten his promise to his father to have white sails upon his return...When Aegeus saw the black sails with which the ship had left initially, he plunged from the cliff to his death thinking that his only son was dead too.

Not knowing that his son was madly in love with Ariadne, daughter of Minoas, and hence too busy to remember what he promised his father about switching to white sails for signalling a victorious return, resulted to a plunge from a cliff as high as 66 meters. 

But this is how we picked a name for the Aegean Sea. The beautiful, blue sea spreads freely up to where the eye can reach offering breathtaking views to those who visit the area. 

There, at the top of Cape Sounion, you will find the Temple of Poseidon and 500 meters away the Sanctuary of goddess Athena. 

Its construction commenced at the beginning of 5th century BC but it was destroyed by the Persian invaders before its completion.

After the end of the Persian wars, Sanctuaries and Temples were reconstructed with absolute care and respect. The cost for this was not an issue for the Athenians.

Their Golden Age had just commenced…

From: Eva Kanellopoulos

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