Other Tourist Sites in Athens
(click on the small image below to see the full size image)
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Library of Hadrian The library was built during the Roman period of the city. It is situated strategically between the Agora and the Forum. The site is currently being reconstructed, but is worth a look if nothing else to see how these ancient sites are reconstructed,as shown in the pictures on the right. Of interest are the columns and floor mosaic as seen in the top left image. The bottom left picture shows the massive size of the library with its large columns and walls. |
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Temple of Olympian Zeus Parts of the temple date back to before the 6th century B.C. which is only one of the many impressive features of this temple. The size and decorative nature of the columns only continues to bring a feeling of awe and wonder to any visitor of this site, helping to appreciate the feelings that the worshiper of Zeus must of felt as they approached and entered the temple. In the middle picture below, the person at the base of the temple is 5 feet tall and is barely a spec next to this building! |
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Hadrin's Arch The arch was construct by the Athenian people to honour the Roman emperor Hadrian who completed the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. In their dedication of the arch the people had the side seen as one approaches the temple inscribed with text which reads "This is Athens, formerly the city of Theseus", the side seen as one leaves the temple site reads "This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus". |
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Sounion Found at the southern most point of Attica,the temple of Poseidon at Sounion is a popular tourist attraction. The temple is on a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea. It is a wonderful view for sunsets. There are many late afternoon tours to this temple, which include dinner at a local restaurant so that tourists can watch the sunset over the temple. |
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| This is the view of the Saronic Gulf from the temple of Poseidon. During a storm ships would take refuge in the bay. |  |
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| Right beside the archaeological site is the tip of Attica. There is a myth that when King Ageus sent his son Theseus to Crete to fight the Minataur that he told Theseus to change the colour of his sails from black to white if he was victorious. Theseus did defeat the Minataur, but in his celebration he forgot to change his sails to white. Ageus was waiting on the tip of Attica for any sign of Thesues and when he saw the ship approaching with black sails he threw himself into the sea in dispair. That is why it is named the Agean Sea. |
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