ape Sounio, on the south-eastern
tip of Attica, is inextricably linked with one of the
most beautiful monuments of classical architecture,
the Temple of Poseidon. The elegant silhouette
of the temple perched atop a high cliff was admired
already in antiquity, but then and later it was often
mistakenly called a temple of Athena because a temple
dedicated to the goddess was situated on an opposite
hill. The Temple of Poseidon was built between
444 and 440 BC, perhaps in connection with Pericles'
extensive construction program in Athens and
Attica. According to scholars, the building was
constructed by the same architect who designed the
Temple of Hephaistos at the Ancient Agora in Athens.
Both temples featured 6 Doric columns on short sides and 13
on long. Only 15 columns are still
standing today. The columns are unusual
because they have only 16 flutes instead of the
customary 20. The smaller number of flutes was
supposed to make the temple more resistant to erosion
caused by the sea. 
clipped from: tars.rollins.edu