![]() They were 6.10 m (20 ft) high, with a diameter of 1 m (3.1 ft) at the base and 79 cm (31 inches) at the top.Īt the center of the Temple colonnade would have been the Hall of Worship (naos), a windowless rectangular room, similar to the partly intact hall at the Temple of Hephaestus. They were made of locally-quarried white marble. The total number of original columns was 42: 18 columns still stand today. Only some columns of the Cape Sounion Temple stand today, but intact it would have closely resembled the contemporary and well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus beneath the Acropolis, which may have been designed by the same architect.Īs with all Greek Temples, the Temple of Poseidon building was rectangular, with a colonnade on all four sides. The design of the Temple of Poseidon is a typical hexastyle i.e. ![]() It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m. 440 B.C., over the ruins of a temple dating from the Archaic Period. The Temple of Poseidon was constructed in approx. Therefore, was a venue where mariners, and also entire cities or states, could propitiate God Poseidon, by making animal sacrifice, or leaving gifts. In an age without mechanical power, storms very frequently resulted in shipwrecks and drownings. His implacable wrath, manifested in the form of storms, was greatly feared by all mariners. In power, Poseidon was considered second only to Zeus, the supreme God himself. In a maritime country like Greece, the God of the sea was bound to occupy a high position in the divine hierarchy. They could even mate with humans, and produce Semi-Gods. As humans also, they had family and clan hierarchies. Thus, in their attitudes towards humans, they could be both benevolent and malicious. They shared the whole range of human emotions, both positive and negative. But in many other respects they were considered similar to humans. Gods were considered immortal, could change shape, become invisible and travel anywhere instantaneously. Thus a person about to swim in a river, for example, would say a prayer to the River-God, or make an offering to that God’s Shrine, to avoid the chance of drowning. hill, lake, stream or wood, was controlled by a God. To the Ancient Greek, every natural feature, e.g. Ancient Greek religion was essentially propitiatory in nature: i.e., based on the notion that to avoid misfortune, one must constantly seek the favor of the relevant Gods by Prayers, Gifts and Sacrifices.
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