John Allen's Top 5 Greek Temples
FIVE: Temple of Zeus at Nemea in the Peloponnese
A personal favourite as I spent two brilliant summers surveying here whilst a student at Cambridge. The Nemea Valley Archaeological Project was a great way to combine Classics and summer holidays! Highly recommended.
FOUR : The Temple of Apollo at Corinth
Doric simplicity at its best and all that remains of Greek Corinth. The extensive remains are Roman. The Romans flattened the city in 146BC but left the temple standing. Noticeable Archaic features not least the pronounced entasis and baggy chinus!
THREE : The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion
Surely the most sensationally located of all Greek temples, perched on a cape that juts out into the Aegean. Lord Byron carved his name into one of its columns (still visible) in a bid to advertise his philhellenism. Great fish tavernas nearby and sunsets to die for.
TWO : Temple of Hera outside Argos
Not too much left of the temple - just the stereobate. Never mind - the view across the Argive plain towards the mountains of Arcadia is unforgettable. It is also the location for one of my favourite stories from Herodotus: the deaths of Cleobis and Biton.
ONE: The Temple of Apollo
The only Ionic temple that gets my vote - it's simply monumental and it's not in Greece! The temple of Apollo at Didyma is near Miletus in modern day Turkey. It sits in the middle of the village which it dominates. The houses all around are built of reused column drums and architectural members from the temple.