a less busy sunset spot the locals took us to

I have returned by posting reflections on the shows / architectures I have been seeing / hearing / feeling for the past two years. Please join me on this journey. 

After driving for 3 hours, it is like a dream to see the setting sun on a cliff by the Aegean Sea, to wait for the golden sky to fade to blue and to hear the waves pushed by the soft wind. We are at a Temple of Poseidon in Athens, Greece. 

view from the temple

It resides on the highest point of Cape Sounion, overwatching the calm waves and cycling sun. It not only upholds the god Poseidon, but also serves as a watchtower for invaders by sea. At the same time, its sheer size impressed both visitors and conquerors. 

The Doric style columns suggest that the temple is dedicated to a male, dominant god. They are constructed of sliced drums that stack together to appear like a complete column. The drums not only makes it more convenient for transporting but also allows the artisans to adjust the sizes of each drum, resulting in each column being thinner in radius at the bottom and top and larger in the middle. The columns at the edge of the temple are subtly thinner and shorter than those near the center. The changing columns aesthetically appeal to the human eye from afar, building an illusion that the temple is upright and straight despite the foreshortening. 

The number of columns are carefully calculated to present a mathematically supported aesthetic ratio. The placement of the temple itself is also carefully considered, allowing the light of the rising and falling Sun to pass through each column and shine on it on the side, allowing the flutes on the column to appear more prominent. This pursuit for the temple to embody an idealistic beauty elevates the high status Poseidon holds amongst ancient Greeks. 

In the past, the temple was built to impress those traveling from foreign seas. Now, it continues to do so even after the original civilization has perished.

The temple is designed so the rising sun will pierce through the columns in the centre of the architecture.