Dominating the Athenian skyline, this beautiful, world-renowned monument is dedicated to Goddess Athena, the virgin patron of Athens. Constructed in 438 B.C. by Ictinus, Callicrates and Carpion, under the supervision of Phidias, the Parthenon is the most important surviving monument of the ancient world and stands as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and the Athenian Democracy.

The Temple of Poseidon, at Sounion, the tip of the Attica peninsula (45 miles southeast of Athens), was built in 440 B.C. However, archaeological findings show the area was a site of worship as far as 700 B.C. Carved into the base of one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon is the name of the famous romantic poet Lord Byron. It is possible he made the inscription during his first visit to Greece.

The pass of Thermopylae is the historical site of the battle that took place in 480 B.C. between the Greeks and the Persians. Under the command of King Leonidas of Sparta, the greatly outnumbered Greek army remained in the pass to prevent Xerxes’ vast cavalry and infantry force further invading the land. They held ground for three days before being outflanked via a hidden goat path, which according to legend, was shown to the Persians by a traitor named Ephialtes. However, their feat gave the Greek army enough time to reassemble and successfully combat the Persians in following battles. The epigram on the monuments reads : Oh stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians (Spartans), that we lie here, obedient to their words.