THE WALL

The city ? state of Athens fortified for safety reasons at its frontier several sites of strategic importance, among which cape Sounion.

The walls extend to a length of about 400 m on the north and east sides, cutting off the cape from the land. They enclose an area of about 4 ha occupied by the sanctuary of Poseidon and a settlement of the deme of Sounion. They are not of a uniform quality, since through time they underwent several repairs and alterations following the defense needs. The wall, 3 - 3.5 m wide, is built of two parallel fronts, with a fill of stones and soil. On the inner side, two stairways leading to the upper part of the wall were revealed. The entrance gate is located on the NW, accessible from the port.



THE SETTLEMENT

A settlement extends on the better part of the area inside the fortress. The main feature is a street, 3-3.60 m wide and 100 m in revealed length, climbing up the slope from W to E. On both sides of the main street and perpendicular to it, narrower streets formed regular blocks (30 X 30 m). Four houses must have formed each block only partially exposed. The settlement housed the garrison. However, the lay-out, the type of houses and the movable finds suggest that it was the centre of the Sounion deme. It endured for a long time and the buildings underwent several repairs and transformations. The phase now visible belongs to the Hellenistic period (end of 4th and 3rd cent. BC).