Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

This article is about Temple of Poseidon in Attika. For other uses, see Temple of Poseidon.

The Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion

The Temple of Poseidon was a temple dedicated to the god Poseidon within the Sanctuary of Sounion, located on Cape Sounion at the southernmost tip of Attika, Greece.

Considered to be one of the major monuments of the Golden Age of Athens, the temple was often visited by sailors praying for safe passage on the seas, with the Spartan misthios Kassandra among them.

Kassandra also had another reason to visit the temple during the Peloponnesian War: she was hunting the members of the Cult of Kosmos, and at some point the cult had laid a claim on the temple, giving it to Okytos the Great of the Heroes of the Cult branch. He had turned the temple grounds into a training camp for the mercenaries he was brutally rearing up to become guards and soldiers for the Cult.

Behind the scenes

In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, instead of its real marble pedimental sculptures, the Temple of Poseidon has the same fictional bronze pedimental sculptures depicting the Gigantomachy, the battle between the Giants and the Greek gods in Greek mythology that are also shared by other temples in game.

It is incorrectly depicted with Ionic columns instead of its proper Doric ones which is odd considering the game has Doric column assets.

Like many other temples in game, the corner acroteria reuse the model of the Naxian Sphinx.

In front of the temple are two statues of Poseidon which are based on the Artemision Bronze statue which is thought to depict either Poseidon or more likely Zeus.

Gallery

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  The interior of the temple
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  South-east view of the temple of Poseidon at Sounion, by Edward Dodwell (1767-1832)

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey