GREEK MONUMENTS

Temple of Apollo

This famous temple dedicated to the god of healing

and the sun was built towards the middle of the 5th
century B.C. in the Arcadian mountains. The temple,
which has the oldest Corinthian column capital yet
found, combines the Archaic and the Doric style.
 The Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are

universal symbols of civilization. They are the
greatest architectural and artistic works passed on
to the world by Greek Antiquity.
 Delphi

The sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, was

the site of the omphalos, the “navel” of the world. Delphi was the
religious centre of the ancient Greek world in the 6th century BC.
 Ancient Olympia

The site of Olympia, in the Peloponnese, became a

centre for the worship of Zeus in the 10th century B.C.
It is the place where the first ancient Olympic Games
took place.
 Delos

According to Greek mythology, Apollo was born on

the tiny island of Delos in the Cyclades archipelago.
Apollo’s sanctuary attracted pilgrims from all over
Greece. Delos was also a prosperous trading centre.
 Zalongo

The Zalongo Memorial is situated above the village of Kamarina,

near Preveza. It is the historical site where, in 1803, 63 Souliot
women with their children danced off the cliff to their death to
avoid being captured by the Turks.
The monument was created in honour of these women in 1961. It
is 18m long and 13m high and can be reached via the 410 steps
that lead up to it.
 The Monasteries of Meteora

In a region of almost inaccessible sandstone peaks, monks

settled on these “columns in the sky” from the 11th
century onwards. Twenty-four of these monasteries were
built, despite incredible difficulties.
Sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus

In a small valley in the Peloponnese, the shrine of

Asclepius, the god of medicine, developed from an
earlier cult of Apollo, during the 6th century BC, as
the official cult of the city of Epidaurus.
 The Medieval City of Rhodes

The order of St John of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1523

and transformed the city into a stronghold. It later came under Turkish
and Italian rule.
The Christian and Byzantine Monuments of
Thessalonica

Founded in 315 B.C., Thessalonica became one of the first

centres of Christianity. Its Christian monuments include fine
churches, some built on the Greek cross design and others on
the three-nave basilica design.
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