My knowledge of the subject is very limited, but I did know that he's ranked with the best of English poets. In other words, he's the guy who wrote "Don Juan." Otherwise, George (real first name) and his relationship to Greece was unknown.
Most of the world remembers his non-writing life as a man in pursuit of the next party and the next woman. Greece, however, has a different memory. Byron spent much of his time here between 1809 and 1824, when he died. He wrote many poems in praise of Greece.
In 1823, Greece was trying to win its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Byron sunk much of his money into military supplies to support the Greek cause. He was ready to go fight when he died. Greece did win that battle in 1832.
The statue is located near the National Garden, and shows him looking up at a woman who is said to represent Greece.
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