Monument to the Unknown Soldier

This guide to the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Athens follows the disputed 1920s commission for Greece's tomb of its war dead, from architect Emmanuel Lazaridis's abandoned first design to sculptor Fokion Rok's simpler reclining warrior, modeled on a much older Greek relief. It traces the 1932 unveiling, the torch-carried flame, and the lines from Pericles's funeral oration carved beside the figure. Watch the ceremonial guards for the pleats counted into their kilts and the tassels on their caps, each said to carry its own meaning.