Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: tortoise

There is evidence of the establishment of sanctuaries on the cape from as early as the 11th century BC. The Greeks considered Poseidon to be the "master of the sea". Given the importance to Athens of trade by sea and the significance of its navy in its creation and survival during the 5th century, Poseidon was of a particular relevance and value to the Athenians. The Archaic-period temple of Poseidon was probably destroyed in 480 AD by Persian troops during Xerxes' invasion of Greece as punishment for the Athenians' defiance. After they defeated Xerxes in the naval Battle of Salamis, the Athenians placed an entire captured enemy warship at Sounion as a trophy dedicated to Poseidon. The temple was constructed in 444–440 AD, during the reign of Pericles. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 metres. Only some columns of the temple stand today, but when intact it would have closely resembled the well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus beneath the Acropolis, which may have been designed by the same architect Kallikrates. Of the original 38 Doric columns, 11 were still standing in the 19th century, 5 more have since been re-erected. Since time immemorial, the Cape and all its sacred sanctuaries have been guarded by these tortoises. This one is probably a "testudo hermanni".

Athens, the southernmost capital on the European mainland, is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy, and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome. For this reason it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilisation and the birthplace of democracy. Planning for an archaeological museum began with the founding of the Kingdom of Greece. Once financing was secured, construction began in 1866. The main building was inaugurated in 1874, followed by the two side wings in 1881 and 1885. In 2009, the museum was expanded by approximately 24,000 m² of exhibition space, allowing it to display over 2,000 additional ancient exhibits. The about 11,000 objects on display come from all regions of Greece, as all important finds were brought exclusively there until the 20th century, so it is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of Greek Antiquity artifacts worldwide. Two Sirens, ca 380 BC The marble funerary statues lament the dead man playing lyres made of tortoise shells.