The Temple of Sunium, seen from the southeast - Illustration from Edward Dodwell's Views of Greece

The Temple of Sunium, seen from the southeast side is an illustration from the collection Views in Greece from Drawings published by Edward Dodwell in 1821.

The Temple of Sunium, perched atop a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea, is particularly impressive when viewed from the southeast. Its Doric columns stand out against the blue sky, creating an image of serenity and majesty that has inspired travelers and poets since ancient times.

The literal transcription of the notice accompanying this plate is reproduced below:

The promontory of Sunium forms the southern extremity of Attica. It is located about twenty-four nautical miles from Athens. It was a sacred place in the time of Homer. When Menelaus returned from Troy, he had his pilot Phrontis buried on its summit. The situation of this promontory is one of the most beautiful in Greece. It rises abruptly from the sea and rises steeply. The view from this spot is remarkable for the beauty of its lines and for the interest of the memorable localities it embraces. From the summit of this promontory, one can contemplate the vast surface of the Aegean Sea and the islands of the Saronic Gulf extending from the Argolic Mountains to the Isthmus of Corinth, while the famous islands of Calauria, Aegina, and Salamis adorn its waters with a celestial blue. Near the shore of Sunium are two island rocks, one of which is called Gaidaro-Nesi, but the other is nameless. The larger of these islets is that of Patroclus, who commanded the fleet of Ptolemy Philadelphus. The coastline extending towards Piraeus is hidden by the high projection of Laurium, which can be seen rising on the left, and whose silver mines contributed to enriching the Athenian treasury.

Sunium was a city of the tribe of Leontis; some remains of its walls, and various ancient relics, are still visible.

The summit of the promontory was adorned with two temples, one of which was dedicated to Minerva Suniades, and the other to Neptune Suniaratos. The peristyle temple that still exists is believed to be that of Minerva. It is raised on three steps. In it are seen fourteen columns and one of the antae standing. It formerly had six columns at each of its ends, and probably thirteen on each of its sides. These columns were of white marble of a very fine grain, similar to that of Thasos, and were probably brought from there. This temple is particularly distinguished by the elegance of its proportions, and, to all appearances, it was built shortly after the Parthenon at Athens.

Being situated near the sea and exposed to constant winds, the marble has been corroded by the salt particles with which the atmosphere is impregnated. This has produced exfoliations on the surface of the marble, and caused the angles of the grooves to lose the original liveliness of their edges. Instead of that golden hue seen on the marble of the Parthenon, the temple of Sunium has retained all its whiteness, and the contrast of this whiteness with the brilliant azure of the firmament and the dark verdure of the shrubs which surround it, produces a very singular effect.

Mr. Lechevalier, the learned traveler to whom we owe the discovery of Troy, had excavations made some years ago among the ruins of the temple. Some human skeletons were found, but it was impossible to persuade the workers to continue their work, which might otherwise have yielded interesting discoveries.