Cruising in Greece

Many people think that the oldest temple of Greece is the temple of Athena in Acropolis.  Yet, the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio is the first reported by Homer.  Specifically, Homer reports that Menelaus’ Ship Captain named “Fronti” during their return from Troy, died at the sight of Sounio Sanctuary. Meneleaos stopped and buried his Captain in the Holy Ground of Sounio.

Yet, Sounio is reported as a place even earlier than Trojan War, and specifically in the Myth of Theseus and Minotaur.

THE MYTH

The myth is chronologically placed a millennium before the temple of Poseidon was built.

Around 1,450 BC Athens was a kingdom, at that time, and it had to pay a regular tax and a blood tax to Minoan Crete. The blood tax was paid every nine years, and seven young men as well as seven young women were sent to Crete to be fed to the Minotaur. Minotaur was a creature with a bull's head, tail, and a male body, while he was living in the Labyrinth.

The Myth

Delos is located in the middle of the Aegean Sea and around the island circle all the other islands of Cyclades. According to mythology, Delos was originally a rock that moved in the sea and covered the waves, and its original name was Adelos.   

The current name was given after Zeus pleaded Poseidon to secure the stellar rock of the Aegean so that Leto could give birth to his twins, Apollo and Artemis.   Zeus plea to Poseidon was because Leto was hunted by Hera, who, angry at Jupiter's infidelity, had given orders to all places in order not to accept Leto to give birth.   After Poseidon intervention he named the island as "Delos". The island acquired not only a steady place in the Aegean, but also the Sanctuary of Apollo.

The History

The oldest inhabitants of Delos are estimated to be around 2,500 BC and built their ellipsoid houses at the summit of Mount Kanthos (113 m height).  From the mountain they could easily supervise and control the small valley and the sea.