Temple of Poseidon in Athens, Greece
The Temple of Poseidon in Athens, Greece is situated on the southernmost promontory of Attica peninsula, about 70km southeast of Athens. According to legend, Aegeus, king of Athens, fell into the sea at this site after misunderstanding his son Theseus' successful return from Crete, where he had slain the Minotaur and forgotten to hoist a white sail. The temple site has been in use since the 8th century BC, with archaeological artifacts found from this period. Herodotus documents that Athenians celebrated a quadrennial festival here around the 6th century BC. Homer's Odyssey also mentions Menelaus stopping at the temple on his return from Troy to bury his helmsman, Phrontes. The original temple was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC, with Pericles rebuilding it approximately in 440 BC. Only a few columns of this temple remain, with a 5m statue of Poseidon (of which only a part survives) once situated inside it. The temple's frieze was made of Paros marble, depicting the legends of Theseus, and Lord Byron even engraved his name on one of the columns during a visit in 1810.
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