Overview

A place in the south of Attiki on a cape. In the ancient times it was one of the Attician settlements that consisted the city of Athens. There were two sanctuaries : one dedicated to Poseidon and another one dedicated to Athena.

There aren't much information about Sounio for the period up to the 7th century BC despite the discovery of two graves (3rd millennium BC), of one grave and shells of the Mikinean period and two iron swords. It is referred as a "sacred land" in Odyssey and the first findings testify the existence of a religious center the end of the 7th century BC there was built the temple of Poseidon, a row of (probably 17) male statues and various dedications. Some parts of five male statues were found at a lower hill where the temple of Athena was built later. During that period there may have been surrounding sanctuaries but no signs of such walls have ever been found.

At the end of the same century many refugees from Egina were settled here and one hundred years later some immigrants from Salamina were added to this population. Its residents were occupied with the fishing and with agriculture. During the rule of Periklis this area was developed but later, in 412 BC, the Athenians were forced to fortify Sounio and some other coastal areas in order to protect their ships that transferred wheat. Some new additions to this fortification were made in the 3rd century BC