Lykavittos Hill in Athens

Photographer: Greg Parker
Summary Author: Greg Parker; Jim Foster

The photo above shows Lykavittos Hill thrusting up near the middle of sprawling Athens, Greece. Its name reflects a long held belief that it was once the sanctuary for wolves. Lykavittos Hill is a cretaceous limestone feature standing 908 ft (277 m) -- the highest point in Athens. Most of what is now Greece was submerged in a shallow sea more than 100 million years ago. The limestone landscape results from the deposition of marine organisms upon the seafloor throughout much of the Mesozoic Era. The chapel of Aghios Georgios (St. George) constructed relatively recently (19th century) can be seen near the summit. Photo taken in mid September 2009.

Photo details: A 2-frame mosaic taken with a Canon IXUS 60 camera and processed using Photoshop CS3.