Sounion and Lavreotiki (2018)

Who has not admired the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion and has not, gazing upon its remains, tried mentally to reconstuct the Temple of Athena? The history of the sanctuary, however, begins several centuries before the construction of the two classical monuments: On the return journey from Troy to his homeland, Frontis Onitorides, the formidable captain and friend of Menelaus, was killed by Apollon because, during the celebrations for the fall of Troy, he forgot to offer a sacrifice and thank the gods. So Menelaus disembarked right there at Sounion to bury his friend with honors in the place where the Temple of Athena was later constructed. In the pre-temple period of its history, the rocky promontory is also associated with a great “surprise” in art, the sudden appearance of the brilliant statue of the Kouros.