Socrates’ prison: a cave in the center of Athens

There are many interesting places in Athens and in general in Attica that you probably do not know about or have only heard about but have not visited and never seen up close.

One of them is probably The Athenian cave, which is also called the prison of Socrates. Even if many have disputed and ruled out that this cave was the real prison where Socrates was found, this name still remains.

In fact, this attraction, located on the Philopappou hill in Athens, has its own interesting history. Isn’t it nice to explore the special and unexplored corners of Attica?

The place where the so-called prison of Socrates is located, received such a name due to the fact that there was and was widely believed that there was once imprisoned ancient philosopher. There are many objections and disagreements about this version. However, its proponents provide some evidence to theoretically support this theory.

Firstly, it is believed that the prison was built in the middle of the 5th century BC. And its position was such that it was said to “look” at the main street. Written reports also say that the “prison” was located in a recess in the ground (cave) and had facilities for taking baths. Which, in fact, is consistent with the descriptions of the prison from Plato’s dialogues.

However, no one knows for sure whether Socrates was really imprisoned in this cave. Since this is not the only cave in Attica that claims this version.

Another cave in Philopappou bears the same name. This is a cave located in a grove opposite the picturesque church of Lumbardiaris, right before the start of the trail, walking along which you will come to the top of the hill to the monument of Philopappos.

And in these two dungeons, in one of which Socrates allegedly spent his imprisonment, again, it has not been reliably confirmed.

The fact that there are many caves in Attica was an opportunity to “speak loudly” about this fact. It is important to know that next to you there could be a prison of such a significant person in the history of Ancient Greece.

During World War II, the cave was covered with a protective concrete wall, which was used as a repository for antiquities of the National Archaeological Museum.

Abandoned house with “clay lady” (“πήλινη γυναίκα”) in Athens

Athens is an open-air museum city, which is actually rooted in antiquity. The many-sided capital of Greece combines cultures of different centuries, which harmoniously combine with each other. This can be seen from the review of the architectural structures of the city: buildings, sights and monuments.

Walking the streets of Athens will make you change your mind about “knowing the city perfectly”. Check out the 1000 year old church in the center of Athens that you may not have noticed while rushing about your business.

And even an abandoned house with a “clay lady” in Athens (with a memorial plaque on it) has its own special meaning. Take a map of the city, take a walk, pay attention to the buildings, and you will see how the centuries-old history unfolds in front of you.

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