Tomb of the Unknown Soldier « Athens « Greece « International « Travels and Adventures

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in front of the Parliament building on Syntagma Square, and guarded around the clock by two members of the Army's Presidential Guard. Among the inscriptions on the marble facade of the monument is an excerpt from Pericles' Epitaphios, the funeral speech to Athens' parliament during the Peloponesian War. The guards are called Evzones, which means"'well belted". The term goes back to Homer to describe soldiers known for their fighting ability. The Evzones were founded in 1824 during the war for Independence and in 1864 became the elite troops of the Greek army. The kilt they wear is called a fustanella and were worn by the klefts , the freedom fighters who fought the Turks in the war for Independence. There are about 200 evzones and they are chosen from among the soldiers for their height and charactor. Among their duties are guarding the Presidential Mansion, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and raising and lowering the flag of the acropolis.

The Parliament building behind the tomb dominates Syntagma Square, and was built in 1836-40 as the palace of King Otto (Othon), the Bavarian prince who was installed as the first monarch of Greece after its revolutionary War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.

See photos from my first visit to the tomb here.

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