Lord Byron

Although the archeological finds at Sounion date back as far as 700 BC, the Temple of Poseidon is also known for a more modern piece of history. Carved onto one of the columns on the temple is the graffiti of the famous English Romantic poet Lord Byron. It is believed that this inscription was left during Byron's first trip to Greece, but it is unknown if Byron himself did the graffiti work. We do know that Byron visited Sounion at least twice and he mentions Sounion is his poem Isles of Greece: 
  
Place me on Sunium's marbled steep, 
Where nothing, save the waves and I, 
May hear our mutual murmurs sweep...

In 1823, believing in the movement for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, Byron sailed from Italy to Greece to become a revolutionary. After arriving he spent much of his own money refitting the Greek fleet but subsequently died of pneumonia while fighting the Ottomans in 1824. Today, Byron is known as a hero in Greece and the anniversary of his death is celebrated each year.