History Summarized: The Athenian Temple at Sounio

On my summer vacation, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Cape Sounio, at the southern tip of Attica at sunset, and I have to say it was one of the most historically exciting moments of my life. For all I myself have said about the Athenian empire, seeing the view from this temple made everything click into place and feel tangibly real for the first time ever (even my 10+ trips to the Parthenon over the course of my childhood didn't do that). So uh... here's 7 minutes of me gushing about it under the thin guise of persuasive historical argumentation.
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[@sebbychou]

The temple of the craftsman god is still standing? I'm... not as surprised as I should be. That's mighty cool.

[@adamlatosinski5475]

Hephaistos knew how to make things that last. He took care of his temple.

[@dynamicworlds1]

If you build a temple to the god of craftsman and it's NOT the last one standing, you're doing it wrong!

[@sflaningam7680]

@@dynamicworlds1 A temple, shrine, church, etc, should reflect the deity you're building it for. You build a temple to a god of the sea, you should make it ocean front property. If it's your city's patron, put in the center of town, where all the locals can see it. Death deity, seek a location that already looks likes an entrance to the underworld. God of war, lots and lots of weapons. Your Aphrodite types, fill it with tastefully nude sculptures of her, including a really big one in the center. Forge god, build it to last, maybe close to a volcano where they're known to live.

[@sflaningam7680]

Among legend and myth there only a select few who rank in my mind when it comes to the forge: There are the Dwarves of Svartalfheim whose best and brightest can make anything when they set their minds to it, and then there's Hephaestus, the original arms merchant. He was not only good at crafting, he was also crafty. Any weapon, shield or armor he made would have a purposely installed flaw that only he knew about, in case someone tried using his creations against him. When he found out Aphrodite was cheating on him with Ares, Hephaestus trapped them in a nigh invisible net and presented buck naked in full view of every god on Olympus, making Poseidon punish Ares and demanding the return of the dowry from Zeus.

[@forteusvaldez4647]

@@sflaningam7680 isn't it nidavellir where the dwarves are from? just wanna know the version of the myths you're coming from; i'm aware that there are many different versions of myths and none is "the correct one"

[@joshuaking3570]

Orrrrrr get really lucky and hope that the Christians turn it into a church... which is exactly what they did hahah

[@timothymclean]

That Athenian temple to Hephaestus is pretty awesome, and I'm also surprised that a temple in such good condition remains so unknown. That said, I am less surprised that a temple so unknown remained in such good condition.

[@joshuaking3570]

The Christians used it as a church and I think I recall it was used as a semi sanctuary kinda thing in times of trouble later on when the acropolis was already in tatters

[@fai-pe7oq]

@@joshuaking3570 the Acropolis remained mostly intact until the 1600s. By this point the Parthenon was a mosque and Athens was under ottoman rule. Venice was at war with the ottomans and laid siege to Athens, and the ottomans used the Acropolis as a garrison that held gunpowder. So the Venetians bombarded the Parthenon and the gunpowder caused the building to blow up. But yea if that didn’t happen the Parthenon would’ve prob also remained almost entirely intact since it was still in regular use up until that point in time

[@alanepithet2931]

There are a lot of messages that the temple at Sounio sends. Exactly one of them is not vaguely threatening and domineering. That particular message is 'Hey, Poseidon, we really love you, look at how we revere you, pretty please don't wreck our massive fleet and ruin our entire empire please?' The rest of them have overtones of 'backed by/ as powerful as/ as dangerous as/ as eternal as Poseidon' and very clearly state that on the waters around greece, you did not fuck with Athens.

[@moonknightproductions]

That's pretty ironic, because the patron goddess is Athena and Athena and Poseidon HATE EACH OTHER TO HADES AND BACK

[@mizutoryu242]

And what made you under the impression Poseidon does NOT hate comercial ships, sails, oars or any fisherman not respecting or fearing him enough?

[@Moszan]

Mizuto Ryu I think the OP is referring to Athena's and Poseidon's hostility towards one another.

[@kasey8568]

It's a huge misconception though that Athens hated Poseidon because of this. Athena and Poseidon were the two biggest gods worshipped in Athens (or two of, at least). That's why the decision of which one should be patron was so hard. But Athens, as a sea-faring city-state, worshipped Poseidon with reverence

[@JuFated]

Well yes Poseidon is pretty salty, pun intended, on losing Athens to Athena on being his patron city due to the olive tree and horse debacle. But the Athenians didnt hate him, given that Poseidon was such a sore loser and would probably tried drowning the land or making every Athenian ship's life have a horrible time. To in a way appease the sore loser sea god, they worshiped and honored him too. Athena didnt seem to mind that, she already won what mattered so yea, the two gods hate each other but the Athenians inbetween just try not to get killed so honors and reveres both.

[@jessicareed6154]

I thought Athena wouldn't care.

[@maristrelle]

As a greek I must congratulate your pronunciation!! :DDDD I love your videos!!

[@OverlySarcasticProductions]

As a Greek I appreciate your seal of approval! :D

[@maristrelle]

Overly Sarcastic Productions *omfg senpai noticed me* Σας θαυμάζω και τους δύο σας , συνεχίστε την καλή δουλειά! / I admire both of you , keep on the amazing job!! :DD

[@angelicaza6737]

Γεια σου πατριδα!!!! Wait... Gregory, you're Greek?! 😃

[@maristrelle]

Angelica Za Γεια! :)

[@angelicaza6737]

Τι λέει, καλά? :)

[@TalonsofWater]

You should do a video on the Parthenon. It's interesting how it was both a Church under the Byzantines and then a Mosque under the Ottomans. And it's destruction was actually pretty recent, the result of a gunpowder explosion in 1687.

[@xaosbob]

And the acquisitiveness of a proto-archaeologist named Elgin in the 1800s.

[@MoamadTrashman]

@@xaosbob and don't forget the locals demolishing surrounding buildings, statues and marble for their usage as building materials.

[@AnaxErik4ever]

So this is what Blue's programs are like: history lessons with logic and mythological connotations thrown in. I also might add that Poseidon was Athena's competitor for who got to rule Athens, so being able to have a temple that was close to the famed city kind of made up for losing a little bit I think.

[@isabellekuipers8609]

I never knew that of the wooden rotation blocks, that is so incredibly awesome!

[@zaepher3176]

Man I'm over here typing up a Bible paper for school and I watch these videos and they just calm me down. If I'm having a hard day or I'm bored I just binge watch these videos I love history and all this stuff and it's really great to see you guys do this

[@tassosaivazis6880]

As a greek i have to congratulate you for the good video and for not mispronouncing any greek words.

[@siawowza]

You have no idea how happy all the Greek subscribers are with every video about our history :') Thank you for taking the time to create such videos and a variety of equally awesome different ones! :)

[@MaskedWeirdosChannel]

I truly enjoy your videos on history, especially ancient history. I love how much enthusiasm and love you have for a subject that i love as well and how you make it more interesting. Thank you Blue and Red

[@tomatochemist]

Oh hey, I found this video having just visited the temple (and the silver mines)! It was so unbelievably windy that I couldn’t hear our guide at the temple, so I found this video to explain the history 😂

[@marnetteryes2613]

Have you considered making a video of the Celts?

[@vanillacapricorn]

as a scot i appreciate this comment.

[@DragonFang409]

Marnette Ryes I'd love that!

[@adaritter9597]

That'd be great! Then Red could do the Mabinogion, and I can die happy.

[@matthewmuir8884]

I would love a video on them. Perhaps he could do an overview, and then have specific videos on the Gauls, Britons, and Picts?

[@pandeonwaters5096]

plz do red or blue lol

[@mileskittman]

I really like the use of Age of Mythology soundtracks. The videos are informative as well.

[@Skylersthemann1]

I visited that temple and the others mentioned here on my vacation to Greece a few years ago, definitely a beautiful sight to see. Cant wait to go back some day

[@MysticKenji2]

"Almost no one knows about it!" Probably why it's still intact :p

[@amersobassiouny5735]

Hey blue I just wanted to say your videos about Athens and Greece in general are amazing as a Greek u found some of them even more informative than my school! Keep up the good content!

[@silphaer5353]

OSP uploaded a video? Time to drop everything and watch it.

[@jasondoe2596]

Great episode! It kinda begs a follow-up video on the myth of how Athena and Poseidon competed to become the patron deity of the city!

[@alexg.7913]

Blue, I just sat through a 5 min (skipable, I may add) ad for you guys. I just love you guys so much

[@Meowrose3]

Has anyone been to the Parthenon replica in Nashville, TN? It's amazing the detail they put into it. You get close and suddenly realize how absolutely HUGE it is.

[@Drapsmann-kn2hb]

You know what we need? A playlist of all Blue’s history videos (including the podcasts) in a historical order...example, this video would be before the July 4th podcast.

[@axeltenveils6816]

I would like to praise your pronunciation of the names. Most people don't even bother.

[@andynz7]

THIS!

[@blair1849]

I love both of the voices on the channel. IS SO SATISFYING

[@edward1259]

Blue, I’ve never wanted to go to Greece. These videos are changing my mind.

[@fabiocosta3830]

Love the fact you use Age of Mythology music for an ancient Greece video :)

[@crimsonecriture56]

Thank you guys. Once again you have my back when it comes to research for my Ancient History!

[@lefterismplanas4977]

Great pronunciations .!! And also I love the age of empires music in the background . You are AWSOME

[@gmkar7766]

The Parthenon is much bigger and impressive than i imagine it to be, but there is something really special about Sounio.

[@walteredgarp]

My wife and I were there in March of 2017 and it was cold and windy. The king was probably blown into the sea. Shoreline sailing was by no means exclusive. Check out the number of ancient wrecks in the middle of the sea. Also, Crete and Cyprus were settled in ancient time so no shoreline sailing there.

[@Midgedoesgaming]

I have been there and it is really beautiful at sunset

[@CelestiaLily]

wowowowow thanks for this episode!

[@magical_onion9854]

this video aged so well. kudos to blue!

[@PhoenixStriker1]

AGE OF MYTHOLOGY SOUNDTRACK ADDITION??!!! I AM LOVING THE GAME MUSIC YOU GUYS HAVE INCORPERATED!!!

[@derae1865]

Hey Blue, you're awesome. Hope you liked your vacation! I hope to go to Greece myself someday.

[@captainpuffinpuffinson4769]

Been there four years ago, almost by accident, alot of tour guides don't know it exists much less the importance

[@lakei_ii]

Blue: So bear whit me here Me: But blue I don't see any bears whit you ;D

[@OverlySarcasticProductions]

They were in my room while I was recording. You have *no idea* how difficult it was to edit out all of those growls

[@moirapalace3946]

Not to mention the state of the bathrooms after their breaks must be the stuff of nightmares.

[@martatarasiuk5198]

At this point of history Athens were a bunch of jerks... highly lovable jerks. I just cannot help but sequel in excitement each time you post a video on Athenian history.

[@cameoshadowness7757]

Crazy topic. Nicely done. Love the video.

[@kasey8568]

Goddammit you couldn't have made this video like 6 months earlier when I was actually in Athens? 😭 Also for anyone going, make sure you hike Philopappous Hill. The views up there are beautiful, and the prison of Socrates is there as well, among other little-explored largely-empty ruins that are out of the way of the tourist-heavy areas. My friends and I went early one morning (like 10:00am) and had the entire summit to ourselves. Beautiful

[@VillainousVillainessViridi]

IS THAT AGE OF MYTHOLOGY MUSIC I HEAR?!?!?! I love this channel!

[@Tuicee]

*clap clap clap* very well done vid. Hope you don't stop soon!

[@rubenferreira5290]

I love your work! Best wishes RF.

[@vazak11]

Super informative, can't believe I never heard of this, thanks!

[@basilb4524]

"You're able to pass through because we're allowing you to." So badass xD

[@ishiimo]

*I love how Blue pronounces Greek!! I learned so much!!*

[@slome815]

What people seem to forget is how shortlived the athenian empire was. It lasted less then 80 years, and ended with sparta thoroughly beating Athens both at sea on on land. This happened only 30 years after building the parthenon.

[@angelicaza6737]

Just browsed through the comments. SO MANY GREEKS HERE! Even Blue!!!!! Γεια σας, παιδια!!!!! Ελάτε να γίνουμε πολλοί!

[@Yora21]

The Hephaestus temple is great. We only planned to see the stoa in Athens but when I saw that thing standing there just a few hundred meters away, I had to see it up close. It's a bit smaller, but when you're into ancient architecture, it's a real highlight of Athens.

[@Lunictd]

4:38 Hey! That's Hephaisteion! It's in the Ancient Agora of Athens (in Athens -as you just said). There are a lot of interesting building in the Ancient Agora. Have you considered travelling to Greece at some point? It would really benefit the show and given your love for Ancient Greece you would love it!

[@cadeyrnkearney5930]

Mate, uhh, maybe you should read the description of this video.

[@moirapalace3946]

Oh, he's been to Greece plenty of times. He just hasn't seen all of it.

[@urulai]

Blue = Athens therefor Red = Sparta?

[@sflaningam7680]

The OG Red vs Blue

[@joshuaking3570]

I meannnnn red can be pretty scary 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@drumkommandr9779]

I can just picture Aristotle stepping out of a time portal, seeing the ruin of the temple to Athena, stepping back in. Then, a portal opens in front of the temple of Hephaestus. Police are called to assist the man found in a toga, hysterically laughing in the temple doorway.

[@KTChamberlain]

King Aegeus: the quintessential example of a man who's too hasty and impatient.

[@exmythos7318]

4:36 I'm totally visiting that next time I go to Athens !

[@ledumdum1225]

*when your favorite youtubers do videos 'bout your country's mythology and your watching like* OH...MEH...GAWD

[@AegixDrakan]

I love how they dedicated the temple to poseidon. That's like "Hi. We *are* poseidon here. We OWN this sea. Don't mess with us". That's one hell of a statement.

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

Fascinating!

[@Improbleparadox]

i visited this temple when i was about 14 i didn't appreciate it as much as i should have. thank you

[@erranie123]

Love your videos

[@mrmadness2699]

"Perfectly cylindrical columns?" I think blue needs to read up on entasis: how the columns bulged in the middle

[@octapusxft]

If you go at Sounio now, apart from the monument you might see the rock partridges that visit Sounio while looking for food.

[@enideus]

The marble from which the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio is built, is actually from Agrileza quarries, some 10 km north of the site of the fortress, near Lavrion. Not from Penteli.

[@fireball03sf]

Thank you!

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

You're quite lucky to be able to have a vacation there.

[@iainhansen1047]

These videos are blocked on my school wifi.........I wonder why?

[@cadeyrnkearney5930]

These videos or KZbin in general?

[@jaojao1768]

Iain Hansen weird

[@iainhansen1047]

Cadeyrn Kearney these videos specifically

[@iainhansen1047]

Johan Hagström it is really fucking wired it allows everything else on KZbin but this

[@moonymonster]

Clearly Keyboard Cat is more educational than OSP

[@1stPCFerret]

Moving the marble to Sounio would have been no big deal. Both the quarry and Sounio are near the ocean.

[@aolanipuaa5916]

Blue is back!

[@MissReinaRabbit]

Gotta say, Normally I love Red's video's way more (simply because history is pretty boring compared to myth) but this was really cool

[@TD-sy5zs]

The ‘Empolia’ also made the columns earthquake proof! How genius!

[@ayesha36]

Sounion is a beautiful place. I wish I could've seen it at sunset! The Temple of Athena nearby is cool, too. Edit: Aw, no mention of Byron?

[@sflaningam7680]

What Sunio says about Athens: We are the monarchs of the sea! We are the rulers of Poseidon's navy!

[@PtolemyAtheling]

♫ There's this temple that's been on my mind. All the time, Su-Su-Souniooh oh ♫

[@MikeGill87]

Yep. The first time I ever heard about the Temple of Hephaestus was when I was looking on it by entering the Agora. And I agree - aside from temples that were reconstructed from scratch (such as Garni Temple in Armenia), this one is by far the best preserved there is. Probably thanks to its history of serving as a Christian church for over a thousand years. Btw, is that music from AoE1 or AoM?

[@zezblit]

Age of Mythology

[@Lensah23]

I discovered this channel a few days ago and....i.can't.stop.watching.your.VIDEOS! Also, where's Red? o____o Edit: You're also really good, I'm going to start bingeing (i don't how to properly pronounce that word) your History Summarized videos with Sarcastic Productions now :P

[@Robb3636]

wow, this really makes me want to go visit Athens, sounds epic!

[@TD-sy5zs]

Important to note is that a just as impressive and important temple at Sounion was the Temple to Athena polias.

[@barkasz6066]

Oh wait, I've been there in 2007. :O I enjoyed the trip very much, but for some reason I only get flashbacks when I see a familiar photo.

[@wraith_bird9297]

Informative!

[@awesomeangusgaming4842]

i am soooooooo in to greek mythology and you do it sooooooooooo well and i suggest you do one on orpheus he's pretty cool

[@KitKat78000]

What about a video about the history of the Celts? (Including Cornwall. Everyone forgets about Cornwall) I love these history videos, by the way~

[@sflaningam7680]

Makes sense: Hephaestus was basically the Olympian Tony Stark, so a temple in his name should be built to last.

[@basilofgoodwishes4138]

Do Sumer next or even prehistory.

[@brotherjorge3]

I'm not a first kind of person, so... ancient?

[@StergiosMekras]

The more OSP videos I watch, the more I have the nagging suspicion that Blue has been in Greece...

[@nicolenegative9050]

I don’t know if you are looking for suggestions or not but I was wondering if you would ever do a video about Carolus Rex (King Charles XII of Sweden). He has a very interesting background and story that I think would be cool!! Love the video btw :)

[@yolkonut6851]

hell yeah my 100% best name "Trash Boi" is in the Patreon credits. worth it

[@SamAronow]

They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is

[@LowellMorgan]

It makes sense that a temple to Hephaestus would hold up.

[@jostewart3192]

Its hilarious that Athenians use Posiedon to show their power, even though Athena and Posiedon were said to hate each other. What is even funnier is that its such a genius zinger @ the sailers that Athena would have to appreciate it lmao

[@forestlincoln761]

Howdy! I think you might love the pantheon as much as this mythology nerd does. Have a wonderful day!😁

[@BenjaminJohnson124]

I just watched "steampunk romans", and am wondering when Green, or some other guest will come on again?

[@Valiguss]

I think I remember that temple to Hephaestus is it the one in the old market in Athens?

[@doritobrando4966]

Will you do a video about Georgian history(country not state)? It's pretty interesting. But sadly no one cares about it except Georgians

[@chickengun1751]

Do you want to give us a quick rundown? I'm kinda curious myself, now. Not expecting a college-level course, obviously.

[@tugst547]

bob jones Or just Google it.

[@TomSistermans]

I love Colchis, the Greeks made a colony there and apparently it had the golden fleece... Plus the Caucasus is one of the most interesting and diverse regions in the world, I agree, hoping to hear some Georgian history!

[@doritobrando4966]

bob jones it's REALLY long. I don't know how to make quick rubdown in one comment.

[@tugst547]

dorito brando then make them GOOGLE it.

[@edgarsnake2857]

Not so sarcastic...just interesting and astute.

[@axeltenveils6816]

Have you been to the Parthenon? It is much bigger and way more impressive when you are there in person.

[@jaojao1768]

Please make a video on carthage!

[@trailmixtape]

Hello favorite channel.

[@jessicaclakley3691]

So, I have a quandary. Considering the sailing prowess of the Athenians, why wouldn’t they have sailed to Soniou with the materials to build the beautiful temple? For the Parthenon it was a much quicker route to go overland but for Soniou, 30+ miles away, wouldn’t sailing make more sense?