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Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion, Athens.
The later temple of Poseidon at Sounion, the columns of which still stand today, was probably built ca. 440 B.C. This was during the ascendancy of the Athenian statesman Pericles who also rebuilt the Parthenon in Athens. It was built over the ruins of a temple built in the Archaic Period. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m. The design of the temple is a typical hexastyle i.e. it had a front portico with 6 columns. Only some columns of the Sounion temple stand today. As with all Greek temples, the Poseidon building was rectangular, with a colonnade on all four sides. The total number of original columns was 42: 18 columns still stand today. The columns are of the Doric order. They were made of locally-quarried white marble. We were there in August 2008, armed with our cameras and the will to show this majestic monument in its modern surrounding. The temple stands there for 2.500 years, overlooking the Aegean Sea like an eternal guard. According to the Greek mythology this is the place where king Aegeas leapt to his death off the cliff, giving his name to the Aegean Sea. As it is surrounded by the sea the view from the three sides of it is simply breathtaking; there could not have been a better place to build a temple dedicated to Poseidon, the God of Sea. You are immediately taken by the simplicity of the columns which still stand, forming part of the ancient temple leaving the rest to imagination. It was a windy day which made it difficult to walk or stand still, as if Poseidon was showing us his implacable wrath, so much feared by all mariners 2000 years ago.
The temple is one of the very few cases in which nature and human architecture work together to create an unforgettable sight; without the temple standing there the cape would be just another rock formation. Regrettably what the elements have respected people have not; the deplorable habit of some to ruin monuments is evident on the marbles of the temple in the form of engraved names and messages.
When the sun sets you are in for a lifetime experience; this is thought to be one of the best places in Greece to watch the sunset from. The setting sun slides in the water tinting the sky first with shades of pink - as if it is blushing - then with deep velvety golden hues while the temple becomes a dominating figure. After sunset the temple becomes magical, as if it conquers the shadows, emerging from the darkness just to declare its presence. When the night falls the lights are turned on and you just see the temple isolated by its surrounding, floating over the invisible hill. We spent the whole afternoon, the evening and part of the night there but this was not enough so we promised we will be there next summer, too.
Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos
Shooting data:
Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 18-200 mm 1/3.5-5.6 G ED VR @ 75 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/200 sec - f/10, Manual mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: AF Nikkor 80-200 mm f/2.8 D @ 80 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/2500 sec - f/5.6, Aperture priority mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 18-200 mm 1/3.5-5.6 G ED VR @ 52 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/800 sec - f/8, Manual mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: AF Nikkor 80-200 mm f/2.8 D @ 200 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/13 sec - f/4, Aperture priority mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
Camera: Nikon D2x
Lens: Sigma 12-24 mm D ¼.5-5.6 DG HSM @ 20 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/7.1, Aperture priority mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: AF Nikkor 80-200 mm f/2.8 D @ 125 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/25 sec - f/2.8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized. |
