05/07/2022
"Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" ("Μνημείο του Αγνώστου Στρατιώτη") in Syntagma square is a cenotaph (empty tomb) dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It is located in the center of Athens city. The Greek Parliament is right behind it (note: the columns that can partly be seen at the upper side of the photo are the entrance to the Parliament).
The marble relief depicts a hoplite soldier lying dead on a small slab. Two quotations by Thucydides, from Pericles' Funeral Oration (431 BC), are inscribed on the wall:
- "Μία κλίνη κενὴ φέρεται ἐστρωμένη τῶν ἀφανῶν" (translation: "... and one bed is carried empty, made for the unknown ones"), and
- "Ἀνδρῶν ἐπιφανῶν πᾶσα γῆ τάφος" (translation: "For eminent men, every place is (worthy) burial ground").
