Greece Restores Part of the Parthenonâs Western Facade
Revealing Its Original Shape Not Seen in Centuries
The project in Athens started in 2017 and involved quarrying, transporting, hand-carving and placing new marble blocks in one of the landmarkâs triangular pediments.
The Parthenon got a glow-up. Preservationists added marble slabs to the western pediment of the iconic temple, restoring a key portion of the landmark, reports Euronews. Built to honor the goddess Athena, the Parthenon has stood on a rocky perch above Athens since the fifth century B.C.E.
The Acropolis Restoration Service says the new marble additions make the pediment the most complete itâs been in 220 years. It has deteriorated over the last 2,500 years due to earthquakes, military conflict, air pollution and well-intended but ultimately harmful historic restoration efforts.
Officials did not specify what caused this particular damage two centuries back.
But about 220 years ago, a British aristocrat named Thomas Bruce, Seventh Earl of Elgin, removed many of the decorative elements from the Parthenonâs pediments, a pair of triangular structures featuring marble sculptures and panels on its eastern and western facades. He transported the pieces back to England and later sold them to the British government. The worksâknown collectively as the âParthenon marblesâ or the âElgin marblesââhave been on view at the British Museum in London ever since.
In recent years, the British Museum and the Greek government have been engaged in sensitive negotiations about a possible return of the works to Greece. In the meantime, restorers have been hard at work fixing up the architectural framework of one of the pediments.
They recently finished installing two new marble blocks. The stones not only help fill long-standing gaps in the ancient structure but also âallow the unique proportions and the geometric perfection of the Parthenonâs western face to be seen once again,â Lina Mendoni, Greeceâs culture minister, says in a statement shared with Euronews.
âThe sight is truly breathtaking,â she adds.
The work, which began in 2017, was complex and challenging. Restorers had to first source and transport new marble from the Dionyssos quarry, located roughly 20 miles away. Then, they had to carve the stones by hand, lift them to the correct height and gently situate them within the existing structure. One block was restored by using new marble supplements to mend two ancient fragments, while the other was made entirely of new marble.
âDue to the large dimensions and the weight of the [marble stones], the project required âsurgicalâ precision and innovative technical solutions,â according to a statement from the Acropolis Restoration Service.
The stones were placed in early March, but the Acropolis Restoration Service did not announce the completion of the project until mid-June, when the scaffolding was taken down to reveal an unobstructed view of the western facade.
âIt is a moment of historic significance for the monument, for the Acropolis and for world culture,â says Mendoni in the statement. âA moment that fills us with pride, but also with a sense of responsibility to continue, with the same consistency, the great work of protecting and showcasing the foremost symbol of Western civilization.â
Modern restoration efforts at the Parthenon began in 1975, following Greeceâs return to democracy. In addition to restoring the western facade, crews have also recently been working on the cella, or central inner chamber.
Though itâs been nearly perpetually covered in scaffolding, millions of tourists continue to visit the Parthenon every year. Itâs one of the monuments that make up the famed Acropolis of Athens, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. The Acropolis is also home to the Temple of Athena Nike, built between 426 and 421 B.C.E., and the Erechtheion, constructed toward the end of the fifth century B.C.E.
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