Issue A974 of 9 Nov. 1997

The Parthenon: A Restoration to last till 2050!

The restoration, one of the greatest monuments of humanity, has been on for years and it is not yet close to completion. The archaeologists and architects in charge claim that the restoration will not be completed till 2030 or even 2050!

The last great questions that have to be answered concern the internal walls that were knocked down as a result of the 1687 explosion of the Turkish arsenal stored in the temple. Some of the questions are: Should we use modern marble from Mt. Penteli to restore the internal walls completely? Should we cover every little hole or mark made on the Parthenon throughout its history and therefore conceal its history since ancient times?

The Greek Central Archaeological Council decided to follow a middle of the road reconstruction and allow the restoration of the walls, including new marble pieces. At the same time, though, pieces that are witnesses of the long history of the building will be preserved. The whole process of putting original and new pieces of the walls together in the Parthenon may last till the year 2050.

The Present State of the Parthenon


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