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SUNIUM (Eouw,ov; mod. Cape Colonna)

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 103 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SUNIUM (Eouw,ov; mod. Cape See also:Colonna)  , a cape at the See also:southern extremity of See also:Attica, with a See also:temple of See also:Poseidon upon it, which serves as a landmark for all See also:ships approaching See also:Athens from the See also:east . The rocky promontory on which the temple stands was fortified by a See also:wall with towers, in 413 B.C., as a See also:protection against the Spartans in See also:Decelea; but it was soon after seized by a See also:body of fugitive slaves from the See also:Laurium mines . In the 4th See also:century it was still kept up as a fortress . The temple was shown by an inscription found in 1898 to be dedicated to Poseidon, not, as formerly supposed, to See also:Athena, the remains of whose temple are to be seen about a See also:quarter of a mile away to the See also:north-east; they are of a See also:peculiar See also:plan, consisting of a See also:hall with a See also:colonnade on two sides only . The extant temple on the promontory was probably built in the See also:time of See also:Pericles . It took the See also:place of an earlier one, of similar proportions but built of tufa or " See also:poros " See also:stone . There are still See also:standing nine columns of the See also:south See also:side and two of the north of the See also:peristyle, and one of the See also:antae and an inner See also:column of the pronaos . They are built of See also:local See also:white See also:marble, which has suffered much from the See also:weather . In See also:form they resemble those of the See also:Parthenon and Theseum, but they have only sixteen flutings . See also:Recent excavations have revealed porticoes, a gateway and other buildings, and also the remains of several See also:colossal See also:early statues, the best preserved of which is now in the museum at Athens . The site of Cape See also:Colonna is extolled by See also:Byron, and is the See also:scene of See also:Falconer's " Shipwreck." (E .

End of Article: SUNIUM (Eouw,ov; mod. Cape Colonna)
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