Roman Monuments/Sounio

Today, we visited the Roman monuments throughout Athens, which were either built or finished under the rule of Hadrian, a Roman who loved the Greeks. First, we saw the Library of Hadrian, which was an important center of learning in Roman Athens. Then, we went through the Roman Agora which was close to the Athenian Agora. Inside, we saw the Tower of the Winds, which was a large building that used the sun's reflection to tell time. The monumental arch at the entrance was very impressive and actually began with Augustus. Then, we went to the boundary of ancient Athens. Old Athens was separated from Roman Athens with the Arch of Hadrian. Behind the arch was the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which began during the 6th century BC and was finished by Hadrian. A series of earthquakes caused significant damaged to it, but the one side still has enough columns to give you an idea of how impressive it would have been. We then grabbed lunch and hopped on a bus to visit the site of Thorikos, the location of the silver mines which Athens exploited financially to build up their fleet during the Persian Wars. It also has a rectangular theater, which was very rare in ancient Greece. Then, we continued to the southernmost tip of Attica to Cape Sounio, the site of the Temple of Poseidon. Afterwards, we relaxed on the beach, soaking in the sun. I had one of the most amazing fish I had ever eaten that night. Since we soon will be leaving Athens, I decided I'm going to go out and enjoy Athenian nightlife again at the Gazi clubs tonight.