Athens Ancient Temples

Athens is famed for its many classical temples full of classical religious art.

An intricate temple, but its elegance and its delicate forms of the Erechtheion contrast sharply with the neighbouring Parthenon that counter-balances the architectural complex with its majestic Doric presence. The temple faces east and its entrance is lined with six Ionic columns.

The stunning Caryatid Porch or “porch of the maidens” with six draped female figures as supporting columns. Standing on south side of the Erechtheion temple, Caryatids statues serve both a decorative and structural function. These graceful supports were carved to resemble beautiful maidens with their delicate hanging folds of drapery.But one of the Caryatids was removed by Lord Elgin in order to decorate his Scottish mansion and it was later sold to the British Museum.

Legend has it that the monument marks the spot on the Acropolis where the mythological contest between the gods Athena and Poseidon took place. According to myth, the two deities were competing to decide which one would claim Athens as their city - Athena brought forth an olive tree, while Poseidon created a salt water spring. And Erechtheion side has shrines sacred to other legendary figures, including Erechtheus, Kekrops, and Bootes. Within the foundations lived the sacred snake of the temple, which represent the spirit of Cecrops and whose well-being was thought essential for the safety city. The snake’s occasional refusal to eat the cakes was thought a disastrous omen.

The entire temple is on a slope, so the west and north sides are about 3 m (9 ft) lower than the south and east sides. The intact Erechtheion was extensively described by Pausanias, but the internal layout has since been obscured by the temple's later use as a church and as a Turkish harem.

Temple of Erechtheion in Athens - Greece

Greco-Roman temple begun in the 6th century BC, it was not completed until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Many years later, the temple was probably destroyed by an earthquake during the medieval period. The Olympieion was first excavated in 1889-1896 by Francis Penrose of the British School in Athens, who also played a leading role in the restoration of the Parthenon. Further work was done in 1922 by the German archaeologist Gabriel Welter and in the 1960s by Greek archaeologists led by Ioannes Travlos.

The graceful ruins of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus can be clearly seen from the Acropolis. It made of fine marble brought from Mount Pentelus and originally measured 96 meters long and 40 meters wide

The dramatic coastal location of Sounio (Cape Sounion) around 5,5 miles south of Athens was an ideal spot for a Temple of Poseidon - Sea god. From ancient times the gleaming marble of this temple has been a landmark for mariners standing atop sheer cliffs that tumble into the Aegean Sea.

Sounio is a sacred site since ancient times and the “sanctuary of Sounion” was first mentioned in the Odyssey, as the place where Menelaus stopped during his return from Troy to bury his helmsman, Phrontes Onetorides.

The construction start around 500 BC but it was never completed, the temple an all the votive offerings were destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. The actual temple of Poseidon was built in 444 BC atop the older temple ruins. The sanctuaries began to decline from the first century BC onwards.

The temple was made of local marble with 34 slender Doric columns, 15 of which survive today. On eat side of the temple’s main approach path is an Ionic frieze made from 13 slabs of Parian marble. Badly eroded now, it is known to have depicted scenes from the battle of the Lapiths and centaurs as well as the adventures of the hero Theseus (son of Poseidon in some legends).

Temple of Poseidon in Athens - Greece

The temple, know as “Victorius Athena” in Athens, was the earliest ionic building to be constructed on the Acropolis. It was begun around 427 BC and completed during the unrest of the Peloponnesian war.

Made completely of marble, its small size was compensated for in its position, resting on a rocky outcrop, purposely positioned so the Athenian people could worship the goddess of victory in hope of prosperous outcomes in the war's endeavours.

In the cellar an Athena’s statue as Nike Apterus is housed, the goddess without wings. Her wings may have been removed by the Athenians in the hopes that she would remain in Athens for success over the Spartans.

The decision to build Athena Nike was an expression of Athens's ambitions to be a world power as opposed to Persia. The frieze on the temple displays the decisive victory over the Persians at the battle of Plataea and a meeting between the gods Athena, Zeus and Poseidon.

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