The Acropolis Restoration NewsÀ ™ ª ∞

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EE.. PPaappaakkoonnssttaannttiinnoouu--ZZiioottii,, IInn mmeemmoorriiaamm:: TThheeooddoorree SSkkoouulliikkiiddiiss ((11992255--22000055))MM.. IIooaannnniiddoouu,, RReesseeaarrcchh aanndd tteecchhnnoollooggyy iinn tthhee rreessttoorraattiioonn ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

CChh.. BBoouurraass,, TThhee wwoorrkk ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss RReessttoorraattiioonn SSeerrvviiccee iinn 22000044SSpp.. OOiikkoonnoommooppoouullooss,, TThhee aacccceessss ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss ttoo ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss

∂∂..--∂∂.. TToouummbbaakkaarrii,, TThhee ddeessiiggnn ooff aarrttiiffiicciiaall ssttoonnee ffoorr tthhee pprroodduuccttiioonn ooff ccaasstt ccooppiieess ooff tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn ffrriieezzeeLL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, TThhee ttaallee ooff eeiigghhtt ccoolluummnnss ooff tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee

KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaass,, TTeemmppllee ooff AAtthheennaa NNiikkee ssttuuddyy ffoorr tthhee rreesseettttiinngg ooff tthhee bblloocckkss ooff tthhee cceellllaa wwaallllssFF.. MMaalllloouucchhoouu--TTuuffaannoo,, NNeewwss ffrroomm tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

∂∂.. TToouulloouuppaa,, OOnn tthhee mmaarrbbllee tteecchhnniicciiaannss ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

55 ñ JJuullyy 22000055

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many lectures world-wide on subjects onwhich he was working. For his great schol-arly achievement he was honoured andawarded by the Greek State and by inter-national organisations. He was a member ofmany Greek, European and internationalprofessional and academic organisations.

From his days as a student he took part ener-getically in common causes. For his resis-tance during the German Occupation ofWW II, he was held in the Averoff prisonin 1942, when he was not yet 18. After the“Polytechneion Uprising” in 1973 he wasimprisoned in the EAT-ESA (the militarypolice). During the Dictatorship, whenmost were silent, he stood with the strug-gling students and he supported theirdemands.

For all these reasons and for all that isremembered by whoever worked togetherwith him, the loss of Theodore Skoulikidisis tremendous. His work, however, hasrooted well and many shoots have been

grafted. His work has influenced many andit will continue to inspire many more. To his beloved family, his wife Aliki andtheir children, the Acropolis staff give theirword that they will remember him alwayswith love and gratefulness.

EEvvii PPaappaakkoonnssttaannttiinnoouu--ZZiioottiiChemical Engineer

Head of the Department of Surface Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments

ered the mechanism whereby marble is sul-phated through the action of sulphur diox-ide in the atmosphere. He found that thesulphated layer (gypsum) preserves detailsof the statues and carved decorations thathave been obliterated from the marble sur-face, and that this gypsum layer must there-fore be preserved rather than removed ashad previously been done. He then devel-oped a method for consolidating the detailsby the inversion of gypsum back into calcite,which is the main component of marble. ñ He proposed increasing the mechanicalresistance of lime, which was used in theconservation of monuments, by addingcrystallization seeds. The method is nowused on the monuments of the Acropolisand abroad. ñ He tested 42 methods used internation-ally for cleaning the stone of monumentsand he proposed the use of laser, which wasfinally chosen for cleaning the sculpturedsurface of the Parthenon west frieze.ñ He proposed making an artificial patinaon the new marble that was used in therestoration of the Acropolis monuments.ñ He developed the non-destructive methodof distinguishing, in situ, marble from sul-phated marble and from calcite, that comesfrom the inversion of gypsum.ñ He developed new material for protectingthe surface of marble from atmospheric pol-lution, which is based on n-semiconductors.This has been applied successfully from1995 on in a pilot programme on the Acrop-olis. His complaint was that no decision wasmade to apply it generally. Always with a spirit of collaboration andfriendliness, through all this he led his col-leagues at the NTUA, he worked with theconservation group of the Acropolis Mon-uments –conservators and marble techni-cians– and he increased collaboration withscholars in other fields –geologists, biolo-gists, physicists and others– who con-tributed greatly to solving the problems ofthe monuments.His research is to be found in more than150 publications and papers (together withhis colleagues) in academic periodicals andin congress proceedings. In addition, he hasstated his opinion on 220 serious technicalproblems and he has written many articlesof a more general nature. He has given also

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ered classics) in the field of Physical Chem-istry, Applied Electrochemistry, the Deteri-oration and Protection of the Marble andBuilding Stone of the Monuments, the Cor-rosion and Protection of Materials and oth-ers. As Professor, he supervised two Asso-

ciate Professorships, forty Doctor of Engi-neering Degree Theses and six hundredDiploma Theses. He served the NTUA with all his strengthand from all the administrative positions heheld, he fought for its progress and growth.As Dean (1975-1978) and President of theDepartment of Chemical Engineering (1986-1990) he helped to raise the standards in theSchool of Chemical Engineering. He dividedthe then unified Faculty of Chemical and Min-eral Engineering into two separate Depart-ments and furthered the development of theDepartment of Chemical Engineering as it isorganised today. He oriented the undergrad-uate course programme toward gaining expe-rience (establishing the five pre-diploma

directions and the practical training of thestudents). For many years he was a SenateMember of the University Council (1968-1990) and Associate Dean of the NTUA(1982-1986). In 1994 he became ProfessorEmeritus.

Theodore Skoulikidis devotedall his life to research, both basicand applied. As early as 1950 hespoke of the need of combiningresearch with industry, for con-trol of pollution and for theprotection of materials. With hisavant garde studies over manyyears, he was the first in Greeceto introduce research on corro-sion and protection of metalsand on the deterioration andprotection of monuments. In thefield of metals, he promoted thetheory of revealing, interpreta-tion and prediction of the mech-anism of corrosion, while devel-oping methods for their cathodicprotection using atmospheric elec-tricity, protection of aluminiumalloys with electrolytic oxides, newpigments (n semi-conductors) foranti-corrosive paints, new methodof electroplating aluminum sur-faces and others. At the same timehe worked on a corrosion map ofGreece. He also carried out a wholeseries of research programmesasso-ciated with chemical kinetics,catalysis, absorption and liquidcrystals.

From the decade of the 1970's until the finalday of his life, he devoted himself to researchon the damage suffered by the monumentsand their protection, especially those of theAcropolis. This work coincided with theestablishing in 1975 of the Committee forConservation of the Acropolis Monuments(ESMA), of which he was a founding mem-ber, and the beginning of the great pro-gramme of anastelosis and conservation ofthe monuments of the Rock that is contin-uing today. His contribution was enormous,in formulating the principles that guided theworks and in research on the mechanicism ofdeterioration in the building material of themonuments and the materials, as well as onmethods and materials for protecting them.

On the 7th of April we lost TheodoreSkoulikidis, Chemical Engineer, ProfessorEmeritus of the National Technical Univer-sity of Athens (NTUA), member of theCommittee for Conservation of the Acrop-olis Monuments (ESMA) from its veryfounding in 1975 and researcherwhose splendid work has beeninternationally recognised.It is not easy to include every-thing we should like to say in ashort retracing and tribute to hiswork. Gratitude to the Univer-sity Teacher, who dedicated him-self to the NationaL TechnicalUniversity and taught generationsof chemical engineers for some 40years, respect for the visionaryresearcher who with his originalideas opened the way to newfields of scholarly knowledge thatwere directly connected with theneeds of contemporary Greece,admiration for the man who livedhis life with principles, withhumility and dignity and whostood with daring and valour dur-ing the dark times when freedomand democracy were tested in thecountry and in the universities.

Theodore Skoulilidis was born inAthens, in 1925. In 1948 he wasawarded the diploma of Chemi-cal Engineer by the NationalTechnical University (NTUA)and in 1950 he received the doc-torate, likewise from the NTUA. During thedecade of the 1950’s he continued his post-graduate studies in the Institute of PhysicalChemistry of the University of Munich,with scholarships from the ThomaïdeionTrust, the Alexander von Humboldt Foun-dation and the Deutsche Forschungsge-meinschaft. His course after that followed allthe academic stages. In 1954 he was electedAssociate Professor and in 1968 Full Pro-fessor in the Chair of Physical Chemistryand Applied Electrochemistry in theDepartment of Chemical Engineering ofthe NTUA. He then assumed the positionof Director of the Division of Research andTechnology of Materials. Together with histeaching he wrote 16 books (now consid-

IInn mmeemmoorriiaamm:: TThheeooddoorree SSkkoouulliikkiiddiiss ((11992255--22000055))

With the other founding members of theESMA, Theodore Skoulikidis introducedinterdisciplinary collaboration in the con-servation of monuments. Until then, con-servation had been carried out on the basisof experience, mainly with the methods andmaterials used abroad in monuments con-structed of quite different building materialsand in quite other environmental conditions.During the 1970’s, throughout Europe the“plastic fashion” prevailed, while a variety ofcommercial polymers were used withoutcontrol for the protection and stabilizing ofthe stone surface. Despite constant pressurefrom various companies, Theodore Skouli-kidis suggested that the use of such materi-als on the Acropolis be avoided, demon-strating that these chemicals not only didnot fulfill the requirements but in the longrun were catastrophic for the stone. A fewyears later, in 1980, he was proven right,when the negative results that had started tobe evident on various monuments were pre-sented in international congresses. TheodoreSkoulikidis, moreover, had rejected the pro-posals of some foreign specialists that waterbe used to clean the monuments and sculp-tures of the Acropolis from atmosphericencrustation, a method that would haveremoved valuable information from the sur-face of the marble, as was subsequentlyproven.Theodore Skoulikidis taught that evidenceshould first be obtained for the causes andmechanisms of damage to the monuments,and that intervention should follow. Method-ically he began to try to find the mechanismsof marble deterioration, to determine thecauses of the damage (mechanical, chemical,biological, electrochemical). He then turnedto the development of methods and newmaterials for conservation, cleaning andprotection that were suitable for the agedand sensitive Pentelic marble of the Acrop-olis. Among others: ñ He proposed for the first time the use oftitanium istead of iron alloys in restoring themonuments. From then on titanium hasbeen used in the anasteloses of the Acropo-lis monuments and other monuments inGreece and abroad.ñ Through research carried out with his col-leagues at the Laboratory of the NTUA,using the model of galvanic cell, he discov-

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The restoration works on the Acropolishave in 2005 completed thirty years. Indeedit was in February 1975 that the WorkingGroup for the Conservation of the Acropo-lis Monuments (later ESMA) was formed.For the Greek scene, it was a model, an inter-disciplinary committee of specialists –archae-ologists, architects, civil and chemical engi-neers– that established special procedures

for interventions on the monuments. Specialemphasis was placed on ensuring, from thestandpoint of accuracy and completeness, thebest proposals possible for intervention as wellas the greatest possible objectivity in mak-ing the relevant decisions. Thus the method-ology was enacted for composing the gen-eral, interdisciplinary studies for restorationof the monuments prior to beginning the

works, or the composing of special studies, asapplicable, while the work was being carriedout. Enacted too were procedures for multi-ple and successive inspections and approvalsof the proposals for restoration of the mon-uments. This came under the pertinentoffices of the Ministry of Culture. Includedalso was an international forum by means ofa meeting of specialists on a regular basis.Emphasis was placed as well on insuringadvanced technology both in carrying outthe relevant research and in the work itself,especially where it concerned the organisa-tion and function of the work-sites, thechoice of materials and inspection of thework as it proceeded. All these activities ofESMA irrevocably bound the restorationwork of the Acropolis to research and tech-nology, with results that have to now beenextraordinarily fruitful.

To begin with, much new information hascome to light about the archaeology, historyand architecture of the Acropolis monu-ments, while in these fields the monumentsare –and will continue to be– the focus ofstudy by leading scholars. The new infor-mation has not simply increased our knowl-edge and added to the relevant bibliogra-phy; it has contributed to the compiling ofstudies that are basic to the interventionsbeing carried out today. Yet, theoretical,scholarly and technical problems have beenencountered during the application of thesestudies. To resolve these problems, manyresearch programmes have been carried outby the scholarly personnel of the works,either alone or in collaboration with educa-tional institutions or other research centresof the country (such as the National Tech-nical University of Athens, the AristotleUniversity of Thessalonike, the Capodis-trian University of Athens, the Institute ofTechnology and Research, The Institute ofGeological and Metallurgical Research, theResearch Centre “Demokritos” etc.). Theseresearch programmes have produced a greatmany innovative technical methods andtechnological practices. Among the workscarried out in the course of the interventions,the most important are:

ñ Resetting of parts of the monuments thathad been restored in the past on the basis of

new evidence that emerged after disman-tling. Good examples are seen in the N andS walls of the Erechtheion that were restoredin 1987, the north colonnade of the Parthe-non and the cella walls of the temple ofAthena Nike, two programmes in processtoday.ñ Search for joining ancient fragments andthe re-formation of architectural members

from fragments that belong together. Thiswork, together with finding the originalposition of the members on the monuments,opens the way for restoring a greater expanseof the monuments, the direct result being topromote their potential, their aesthetic andscientific values and to make the monumentsmore comprehensible to the general public.A representative example is provided by the

restoration of the ceilings of the Propylaia –a programme being carried out at present.The original positions of the coffered slabsand beams were identified after research onthe fragments of beams and coffers that weredismantled from the ceilings, together withfragments that had been scattered on therock and not used in the previous restora-tion. Another example is the identificationand recognition of the original positions ofthe column drums and members of theentablature of the Parthenon pronaos colon-nade. This has made possible its partialrestoration.ñ Inquiry into the stability, against static ordynamic charges, of the in situ or restoredareas of the monuments, employing modernscientific methods. ñ Research on the structural restoration ofarchitectural members (joining of fragmentswith titanium rods, filling in with new mar-ble) and establishment of relevant calcula-tion methods, in accordance with the strainapplied to the members (bent beams andarchitraves, column capitals etc.). ñ In collaboration with other scientific bod-ies, study of natural and mechanical prop-erties of the building materials of the mon-uments and the materials used in restoration(ancient and new marble, ancient iron, tita-nium, special mortar used in the interven-tions). Included in these investigations is theartificial stone used for copying the originalsculptures that are removed from the mon-uments (for example the west frieze of theParthenon or the frieze of the temple ofAthena Nike). ñ Development of original and new applica-tions in the course of the works. Representa-tive examples are: 1. repair in situ of the cracksin columns of the Parthenon Opisthonaoscaused by thermal fracture in antiquity. Inorder to avoid dismantling them and toretain their authentic structure, after research,the cracks in the drums were injected withan hydraulic grout especially prepared forthis purpose. 2. Cleaning of the surfaces ofthe dismantled blocks of the Parthenon westfrieze with an original Laser system workingon two wave lengths (infrared and ultravi-olet) with different levels of power. Bymeans of this original system, developed bythe Institute of Electronical Structure andLaser of the Technological and Research

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. SSrruuccttuurraall rreessttoorraattiioonn ooff tthhee ddrruummss ooff tthhee ooppiisstthhoonnaaooss ccoolluummnnss wwiitthh hhyyddrraauulliicc ggrroouuttiinngg..PPhhoottoo AA.. PPaannoouu,, 11999988

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PPaarrtthheennoonn.. MMaacchhiinnee ffoorr ccuuttttiinngg tthhee fflluutteess ooff tthhee ccoolluummnn ddrruummss iinn nneeww mmaarrbbllee..PPhhoottoo SSpp.. OOiikkoonnoommooppoouullooss,, 22000022

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RReesseeaarrcchh aanndd tteecchhnnoollooggyy iinn tthhee rreessttoorraattiioonn ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

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Foundation of Crete, the historical layers ofthe surfaces of the frieze were preserved,with an excellent aesthetical result. ñ Improvement and protection of the envi-ronment through research programmes con-nected with biological attack on the archi-tectural members of the monuments. ñ Notable improvement in technologicalknow-how with the hoisting systems usedfor dismantling and reassembling the mon-uments. To a great extent this technologi-cal knowledge is based on ideas and hoist-ing systems already known and employedin antiquity for building the monuments.The developments and achievements ofmodern technology, however, are utilisedin the motive power of the systems and inthe choice of material. Thus, we have metalsystems for the cranes and bridge cranes onscaffolding, which are moved by electricitywith low speeds and can move with greatprecision. Special care is taken with the formand extent of the hoisting systems used, sothat they are adaptable to the particular aes-thetic and environmental requirements ofthe sensitive area of each monument, whichis surrounded by ancient remains and at thesame time is deluged daily by hordes ofvisitors. ñ The building of original fixtures using theultimate in modern technology for carryingout the works of restoration. Many innov-

ative devices were designed by the engineersof the YSMA and built for the purpose ofaccelerating the works, while retaining theirwell-known high quality. Representativeexamples are: the suspension cramps for thearchitectural members, the steel wagons onrail for joining large marble members, thespecial pantographs. Notable among theseis the new cutting machine for carving the

flutes of the column drums in new marble.It can cut to millimetre precision and its useis greatly accelerating the restoration of thenorth colonnade of the Parthenon. An invi-olable principle of the interventions, how-ever, remains the final carving of the flutesby the experienced marble technicians of theYSMA. ñ The use of completely up-to-date tech-

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nology, with the development of a speciallydesigned electronical programme of a DataBase for working and providing immediateaccess to the exhaustive body of documen-tation – graphic, photographic, cinemato-graphic etc., which accompanies the workin all phases.

ñ Making use of the world of informationtechnology in order to create an infrastruc-tural network and to generate digital mate-rial comprising virtual reality, photorealisticrendering of the monuments etc.Among the first principles that ESMAestablished for its work –still followedunswervingly today– is to publicize andspread the new scientific, scholarly andtechnical knowledge that is emerging andexpanding continuously. Informing thescholarly world and the wider public isachieved through international academicmeetings, scholarly and informative publi-cations, films and the YSMA website. Par-ticularly significant is the providing of infor-mation to the students of the elementary andsecondary school levels through the educa-tional programmes of the Service.Finally, we must count among the positiveresults of the works the creation of a per-sonnel that is highly specialised in the sub-ject of restoring ancient classical monu-ments. They are already staffing the Univer-sities of this country.

The Acropolis, universal symbol of ancientGreece, presents today the appearance of awork-site. A work-site, however, that is aninternational model – from every point ofview, research and study, theory and prin-ciples of intervention, technological appli-cations and also transparency in performingthe work of restoration. It honours and,especially, it demonstrates potential of con-temporary Greece.

MMaarriiaa IIooaannnniiddoouuCivil Engineer

Director of the YSMA

TThhee WWoorrkk ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss RReessttoorraattiioonn SSeerrvviiccee iinn 22000044**

The work of the Acropolis Restoration Ser-vice (YSMA) in 2004 was characterized byintensification of its activities and their evengreater acceleration. On the positive side ofthis progress may be counted the experienceof the personnel, both scholarly and techni-cal, the assistance of mechanical means downto the penultimate stage of cutting the mar-ble, the advantages of administrative and

financial autonomy, assured by the found-ing Presidential Decree of YSMA in 1999,and the enthusiasm of the personnel, whodraw confidence from the progress of thework. Among the unexpected negative compo-nents, as in 2003, the unforeseen revelationof the actual condition of the ancient mater-ial was a determining factor. This may hap-pen when architectural members are removedand surfaces hitherto unseen become visible.It means an expansion of the actual areaundergoing restoration on all the monu-ments and, toward the end of the year, anadjustment of the technical report on thework, all this prolonging the time requiredby two years and increasing the fundingrequirements by 5,5 million euros. The twelve-member interdisciplinary Com-mittee for Conservation of the Acropolis Mon-

uments (ESMA) held 21 meetings in 2004.The members of the Committee remained thesame except for the replacement of Mrs. Niko-letta Valachou by Mrs Aikaterini Kyparissi,when she succeeded her in the position ofDirector of Prehistoric and Classical Antiqui-ties of the Ministry of Culture. The year 2004was, sadly, the last year of our collaborationwith Theodore Skoulikidis, who died in the

present year, 2005. He was one of the found-ing members of the Committee and forthirty years our colleague in charge of mat-ters involving Physical Chemistry and theconservation of surfaces. From the end ofMarch, the duties of Secretary of the ESMAwere performed by the archaeologists EviPetropoulou and Theodora Moullou. Thanksto their ability and conscientiousness we havefull and analytical proceedings of the meet-ings of the Committee that fully reflect thescholarly speculations about all the subjects.The participation of Alkestis Choremis,Director of the First Ephorate of Antiquities,and our continuous excellent collaborationwith her, resolved immediately many of thedaily problems in the Acropolis area. As last year, so also in 2004 I note that thepressure to accelerate the works did notlessen the quality of the work being done.

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. RReessttoorreedd pprroonnaaooss ccoolloonnnnaaddee ffrroomm tthhee eeaasstt..PPhhoottoo SS.. MMaavvrroommmmaattiiss,, 22000044

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The daily process of detailed recording of eacharchitectural member separately, of the draw-ings, of photographing, of describing andrecording in the journals, the writing of studiesfor the partial-projects and their approvalby the Committee continued unabated. Allthis goes into the Archive and the Data Bases,so that no substantive information is lost,whether it concerns the condition of the mon-uments or our interventions. This approachto each stone as an historic piece of evidenceindeed makes the work progress moreslowly. Yet it is this very approach that hasdistinguished the work, on an internationallevel, as a model of how an intervention onthe architectural monuments of Antiquityshould be performed. The publication a month ago in the newspa-pers about the completion of the restorationworks on the Acropolis in 2020 refers to futureprogrammes that are considered from the sci-entific standpoint to be totally necessary. Theyhave not yet begun, however, and they are notthe immediate responsibility of the YSMA.The duration of the programmes that havebeen carried out from 1979 on is, indeed, jus-tified by the fact that from classical antiquityuntil our times, there was no systematic andscholarly conservation of the monuments ofthe Rock. Quite otherwise, they were contin-uously degraded and damaged.To the Director of the Service, the civil engi-neer Mrs. Maria Ioannidou, we owe thecoordination of all the works being carried outon the Acropolis. Her obligations, which shehas fulfilled with great ability and responsi-bility, include, apart from introducing allmatters to the Committee, the coordinationof the various works in collaboration withtheir directors, the revision of the TechnicalReport and the time schedules, writing up thebudgets and accounts of the work, her contri-bution to matters concerning civil engineer-ing, especially the Propylaia where she retainsfull supervision of the tasks of the Civil Engi-neer and the solving of many problems thatarise daily and demand immediate action.Her position also includes the presentationof the progress of the Acropolis works atcongresses, seminars and through lecturesin Greece and abroad.

We now come to the work carried out in2004.

In the PPaarrtthheennoonn, as is well known, threeprogrammes of structural restoration areunderway, in the pronaos, the opisthonaosand the north colonnade. The architectNikos Toganidis, colleague of twenty years,is in charge of the entire project. The schol-arly group that supplements the general stud-ies with studies for their actual implementa-tion, comprises the architects Lena Lambri-nou, Rosalia Christodoulopoulou, Aikaterini

Paraschi, Angelos Papandropoulos, the civilengineers Marilena Mentzini, Eleni Toum-bakari and the archaeologist Eleni Karakit-sou. They supervise also the intervention.Anastasia Panou is in charge of the conser-vation of marble surfaces. The pronaos programme has virtually beencompleted, with the architrave set in place,in accordance with the approved study byManolis Korres. Left undone is the flutingin the parts of the columns filled in with newmarble. This is a subject that the CentralArchaeological Council of the Ministry ofCulture decided should be re-examined. InSeptember the ESMA decided unanimouslythat the flutes should be cut, but that matterwas not placed before the Council as the cor-responding work beneath was cancelled afterthe budget was cut. Likewise the architravebetween the colonnade and the southeast antahas not been set in place as its joining with the

south wall of the cella has yet to be decided.The removal of the scaffolding at the end ofJune, which signalled the completion of thisrestoration programme, revealing the newform of the pronaos, showed how great animprovement had been made in the appear-ance of the east end of the temple. It has jus-tified the study by M. Korres. The opisthonaos programme was likewisecompleted in time, last June. Important in

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this were the efforts of Petros Kouphopou-los, now Assistant Professor at the Universityof Patras. He wrote the study for the workand he worked as Technical Advisor togetherwith the engineers R. Christodoulopoulouand E. Toumbakari, who made the imple-mentation studies and supervised the work ona daily basis. Damages not foreseen obligedthe opisthonaos team temporarily to removetwo column capitals, which were set again inposition in February. Matters connectedwith the cast copies of the west Ionic friezeand the frieze-backers were included, insomewhat inverted order, in the report of2003. Now the building form has been com-pleted with the resetting of the crown blocksover the frieze and the water-proofing of themediaeval stairway, in accordance with P.Kouphopoulos’ study. Here the intensiveefforts of the staff of the YSMA to completethe work before the Olympic Games shouldbe noted. Given the poor condition of the crownblocks above the west colonnade, the beamsof the west pteron are to be part of the futureprogramme for the entablature and west ped-iment. The study for this has been under-taken by Mrs. R. Christodoulopoulou, fol-lowing the decision of the ESMA that onlya few days were needed for setting both thebeams and the inter-beam blocks above thefrieze. They would, however, have to be low-ered again to the ground once the future pro-gramme of the entablature and pediment ofthe west façade of the temple is under way. The great effort of 2004 was focussed on thenorth colonnade of the Parthenon (the restora-tion of which is in the hands of Mr. N. Togani-dis and the engineers L. Lambrinou and M.Mentzini). As you know, eight columns, fromthe 4th to the 11th counting from the east,were restored by Balanos with all of the draw-backs of the method he followed. These hadalready been dismantled in 2003, and effortswere devoted to finishing the studies (mainlyon the column capitals and the entablature)and on clearing the rusted iron and cementfrom the members, replacing the cementeddrums with new marble and filling in a num-ber of members. And while, after interminablediscussions in the ESMA, all or nearly all thedrums had been reset or were ready to bereset, a serious problem with at least two col-umn capitals emerged and was studied by

Mrs. L. Lambrinou. Balanos had incorpo-rated in these capitals fragments belonging toother capitals, in an affort to make his addi-tions look ancient. Now that these fragments,by necessity, had been removed, other prob-lems arose that were difficult to resolve. Towhat extent should the new additions preparedby Balanos be used? Can additions be madeto these additions or should they be removedand replaced entirely with new marble, in

accordance with the method used on theAcropolis for the past twenty years? It shouldalso be noted that the fillings in the drums,necessary for structural reasons (because ofthe heavy load supported), tend in somecases to negate the character of the ruin inthe north colonnade, quite unintentionally.The study of the entablature of the northcolonnade likewise presents problems, not somuch for the architrave blocks as for the

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. RReessttoorreedd ooppiisstthhoonnaaooss ccoolloonnnnaaddee ffrroommnnoorrtthh.. PPhhoottoo FF.. MMaalllloouucchhoouu--TTuuffaannoo,, 22000044

PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa.. TThhee tthhrreeee nnoorrtthh cceeiilliinngg bbeeaammss ooff tthhee eeaasstt ppoorrttiiccoo rreessttoorreedd.. PPhhoottoo VV.. PPaappaavvaassiilleeiioouu,, 22000044PPaarrtthheennoonn.. TThhee nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee dduurriinngg rreessttoorraattiioonn.. PPhhoottoo LL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, 22000044

PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa.. TThhee eeaasstt ppoorrttiiccoo ffrroomm tthhee eeaasstt,, wwiitthh tthhee cceeiilliinngg bbeeaammss ooff tthhee nnoorrtthh sseeccttiioonn rreessttoorreedd aanndd iinn ppllaaccee..PPhhoottoo TT.. TTaannoouullaass,, AAuugguusstt 22000044

1111

The year 2004 saw great progress in the tteemm--ppllee ooff AAtthheennaa NNiikkee as work continued ataccelerated speed. The civil engineer DionysiaMichalopoulou is in charge of the work withthe architect Kostas Mamaloungas, the archae-ologist Evi Lebidaki and the conservatorAnthe Tsimereki as collaborators. Modernmaterial was removed from the basementspace beneath the temple and the precedingclassical poros shrine (naïskos) was conserved.Following this a small wall of reinforced con-crete was built, fully reversible, and the deci-sion was made to make a totally inflexiblemetal grid to support the eight massive mar-ble slabs of the floor and to some extent thewalls of the temple. Throughout the year the main occupation ofthe team was the removal of rusted metalpieces and cement fillings and the creationof new marble fillings on hundreds of archi-tectural members. The final result was dueto the transfer of marble and cast techniciansfrom other work teams to the Nike temple,the ordering of some of the fillings fromoutside and the overtime work by membersof the staff. In place again by the end of2004 were the blocks of the euthynteria andpart of the krepis of the temple (one stylo-bate block and five toichobate blocks), afterrepeated checking of the general alignment.

The cciirrccuuiitt WWaallll is the responsibility of thearchitect Vasso Manidaki, who has submit-ted a series of reports with observations aboutthe cracks that have appeared at variousplaces and on the measurements that are nec-essary. The ESMA had, in 2003, entrustedthe topographer-engineer Mr. M. Kapokakiwith making a systematic survey of the southcircuit Wall, which was completed. In 2004,systematic documentation continued, withinventories. It was decided to monitor theWall on a regular basis to clarify its actualcondition and to investigate its structural effi-ciency in the places that had cracked. A sub-committee was appointed to deal with thestructural problems of the south fortificationWall. Ten crack meters and topographicalmarkers were put in place in order to obtainmore accurate measurements. It was decidedto acquire a moveable platform from whichclose observation would be possible.

In connection with the circuit Walls, an

access of the Acropolis to people with spe-cial needs was made during the past year.There had been discussions and meetings in2003, but final decisions were made in Mayand June of 2004. The Central Archaeolog-ical Council approved the installation of a liftfor two years and carried out an inspectionof the place on 23 June. This urgent pro-gramme was carried out expressly, on thedecision of the Deputy Minister of CultureMr. P. Tatoulis, by the personnel of theYSMA and outside collaborators, coordinatedby the mechanical engineer Sp. Oikono-mopoulos, with studies and the supervision ofV. Manidaki and the general coordination ofMrs. M. Ioannidou. Various alternative propos-

als had been made by Sp.Oikonomopoulos priorto this. The programme comprised 14 separateprojects. It was finished shortly before theOlympic Games, with superhuman efforts,repeated inspections and care on the part ofthe ESMA members, the Ephor Mrs. A.Choremi and the General Secretary of theMinistry of Culture, Mr. C. Zachopoulos. Itshould be noted that the intervention isentirely reversible and that the tracks for thelift have been anchored not in the natural rockor any antiquity, but in a massive buttress builtby Balanos in the 1930’s. The work wascostly, time-consuming, and hardly accordswith the form of the Acropolis. It meets spe-

cific needs, however, which we hope in timecan be satisfied in a better way.

Likewise connected with the circuit Walls isthe problem of the AArrrreepphhoorreeiioonn, a monumentof great importance archaeologically. Thesuperstructure is not preserved and the foun-dations, of soft poros stone, have remainedexposed to the forays of dampness, freezingand wind. The ESMA had endless discus-sions as to whether it was better to bury thefoundations or to roof them and leave themvisible and open to visitors. The architect V.Manidaki presented alternative studies thatled to an acceptable solution to the problemin 2005.

SSuurrffaaccee ccoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn ooff tthhee mmoonnuummeennttss wascarried out by a team of conservators andtechnicians under the direct supervision ofthe chemical engineer Mrs. Evi Papakon-stantinou and the direction of the late Pro-fessor Theodore Skoulikidis. Throughout2004, despite his problems of health, he neverceased to offer his services, both in carryingout the works and as a member of the Com-mittee.As each year, the usual task of stabilizing andconserving the surfaces of architectural mem-bers that were moved was continued through-out. The work was extended to include theErechtheion with the columns of the east

overlying Doric frieze. It is clear that someof the backing blocks of the frieze belong tothe south colonnade and had been transferredto the north by Balanos. N. Toganidis hasalready suggested their replacement by othersin new marble. Equally difficult is the prob-lem of the cornice blocks that preserve onlythe projecting section, while the rear partsthat provided the bed-joint on the frieze havedisappeared and been replaced by concreteduring Balanos' anastelosis. On the rear part,however, is the evidence that demonstrates theoriginal position of the cornice block, withclamp and dowel holes, dowels, auxiliarydowels and pry-holes. There are, moreover,indications that in an effort to present a bet-

ter picture of the more fully preserved westpart of the north colonnade, Balanos setmany cornice members there, regardless oftheir original position. Be that as it may, therecording is being finished, the problemshave been identified and it is hoped that per-fect solutions or at least satisfactory compro-mises will soon be found.It should be noted also that for cutting the flutesof the columns of the north side, the machinedesigned by the mechanical and electrical engi-neer, Mr. Spyros Oikonomopoulos, has beenused with great success. Moreover, in order toaccelerate the work a second pantograph wasacquired, the bridge-crane was redesigned so

that it could come closer to the building andyet another shed was made to house it.

The group working on the PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa isheaded, as always, by the architect TasosTanoulas, with structural restoration theresponsibility of Mrs. M. Ioannidou. Collab-orating with them are the architect Konstan-tinos Karanasos, the civil engineer VasilisPapavasileiou, the archaeologist E. Petro-poulou, who is responsible for keeping thejournal and for providing the informationfor the archive, Aikaterini Babanika, respon-sible for marble conservation and the exceed-ingly experienced draftswoman, Yiota Mou-topoulou.

By February 2004, the “inserted” pro-gramme for the north wall of the centralbuilding had greatly progressed, and was oneof the four programmes that were completedbefore the Olympic Games. I have charac-terised it as “inserted” because in 2003 it wasdiscovered that Balanos had moved andsecured with his usual method 91 morearchitectural members than had been known.The matter has been resolved with the recentplacing of the ten last wall blocks. Theweight now shifts to the east portico with itssix interior columns. These were conservedand their restoration had already been com-pleted to the height of the column capitals in

April. Unfortunately, Balanos incorporatedinto the frieze members and cornice blocksmany fragments that do not belong. Theseare being removed and their original posi-tions sought or else they are being replacedin new marble. Similar work is being doneon the huge blocks of the coffered ceilingsand the Ionic architrave blocks, with joinsand fillings, unfortunately on a large scale. Incarrying out the specific programme of theceiling in the central building, the drums ofthe Ionic columns (to which joining frag-ments have been added) and two Ionic cap-itals, entirely of new marble, were madeready beforehand to replace the patch-workintroduced by Balanos. It should be noted

that the experienced marble technicians whomade the new Ionic capitals, used as guidesthe fragments of the original ancient columnsthemselves. Three beams and a number ofinter-beam blocks have been placed in theeast porch and the lintel of the great door isbeing reinforced. In the spring of 2004, the floor of the cen-tral passageway through the Propylaia wasredone with a safety measure taken for theprotection of visitors on the basis of T.Tanoulas’ study. Surface conservation of thearchitectural members, that are being reset inthe building, continued throught the year bya specialised team.

PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa.. RReesseettttiinngg tthhee cceennttrraall aarrcchhiittrraavvee bblloocckk oofftthhee eeaasstt ppoorrttiiccoo.. PPhhoottoo.. KK.. KKaarraannaassssooss,, 22000044

PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa.. CCuuttttiinngg tthhee IIoonniicc ccaappiittaallss ooff tthhee wweesstteerrnn hhaallll ooff tthhee cceennttrraall bbuuiillddiinngg iinn nneeww mmaarrbbllee..PPhhoottoo TT.. TTaannoouullaass,, 22000044

PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa.. RReesseettttiinngg aa wwaallll bbeeaamm ooff tthhee eeaasstt ppoorrttiiccoo..PPhhoottoo.. KK.. KKaarraannaassssooss,, 22000044

Parthenon Frieze (which was published withthe cooperation of the National Documen-tation Centre) sent to libraries and universi-ties abroad.

In the framework of information, the photo-graphic exhibition of Mr. S. Mavrommatis waspresented in January in Rome, at the so-calledMercati Traieanei, at Fairfield University inthe United States and at the Museum of FolkArt in Kyme, Euboia. A smaller exhibitionby S. Mavrommatis was held at the BenakiMuseum on Piraeus Street on the occasion ofthe publication of Mr. A. Delivorias’ bookon the Parthenon frieze.

The work of the YSMA was likewise pre-sented abroad in 2004 with great success.Mrs. C. Hatziaslani was invited to presentthe educational programmes of the Acropo-lis at the Yearly Meeting of the Archaeolog-ical Institute of America, held in San Fran-cisco, at the Paul Getty Museum in LosAngeles, and at a seminar organized in Lon-don by the Society for the Promotion of Hel-lenic Studies. Mrs. F. Mallouchou-Tufanogave lectures on the works of the Acropolisat the Universities of Florence, Naples, Peru-gia and at the Academy of St. Luke in Rome.The works of the Acropolis were presented

at a symposium at Paestum (Poseidonia) byMrs. F. Mallouchou-Tufano together withMrs. M. Ioannidou, Mr. T. Tanoulas, Mrs.E. Papakonstantinou and Mr. K. Karanasos.The Director M. Ioannidou and Mrs. P.Pouli presented the restoration of the westfrieze of the Parthenon at the Institute ofHistorical Heritage in Madrid, and the con-servators K. Frantzikinaki and K. Vasileiadisat the 10th Symposium on the Conservationof Stone in Stockholm. Finally, Mr. S.Mavrommatis gave a talk at Fairfield Univer-sity on the photographing of the works. Other notable activities relevant to Informa-tion are the guided tours of the Acropolis onthe 27th of July 2004, when the President ofthe Democracy, Mr. K. Stephanopoulos, vis-ited the Acropolis work-site on the occasionof the completion of four of the YSMA pro-grammes, the announcements to the foreignreporters at the Zappeion during the OlympicGames, the up-dating of the YSMA websiteby Mrs. Th. Moullou, the incorporation ofthe CD-Rom on the frieze in the introduc-tory page of the website of the French Min-istry of Education and the publishing of the4th issue of “The Acropolis RestorationNews” under the supervision of Mrs. F. Mal-louchou-Tufano in two languages. It was sentto a great number of recipients.

It remains only to thank all who are takingpart in this great cultural and technical work.The members of the Committee and thescholarly personnel, engineers and archaeol-ogists of the Technical Office, whose namesI have already mentioned. The First Ephor-ate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquitiesand Mrs. A. Choremis. The supporting staffof the Secretariat, the Accounting Office andthe Archive. The marble technicians and allwho assist them in their continuing work andthe great effort of 2004, which had, as wehave seen, excellent results. Finally, Mrs.Maria Ioannidou, Director of the AcropolisRestoration Service, for all that she managed,with great effort, to accomplish during thepast year.

* From a talk given at the Centre for the Acropolis

Studies on 16 May, 2005.

Professor Emeritus CChhaarraallaammbbooss BBoouurraassPresident of the ESMA

porch, the interior of the cella side walls andone of the copies of the Caryatids. In research, study continued on the biolog-ical cause of marble corrosion by Mrs.Karagouni, professor in the Biology Depart-ment of the University of Athens. The workis in process.The most significant achievement of the con-servation team during 2004, however, is thecompletion of the cleaning and structuralrestoration of the west frieze of the Parthenon.For the Laser method used, the relevantinstruments and the collaboration with theTechnological and Research Foundation ofCrete, there was extensive discussion a yearago and you can read the report in the Acro-polis Restoration News, No. 4, 2004. In addition to cleaning, the old dowels and theremains of Meyer stone-glue were removedand then the very special problems of restor-ing the continuity of the figures and the aes-thetics of the sculpture, in preparation forexhibiting them where concerned. The workwas done under the direction of a committeeof archaeologists, with the Director of theAcropolis Mrs. A. Choremis as president, andwith the direct supervision of the archaeologistMrs. Christina Vlassopoulou. The Technolog-ical and Research Foundation of Crete wasrepresented by Mrs Pouli and Mrs. Ditsa and

the YSMA by the conservator Mrs. Panou. Asa result of the work of the First Ephorate ofPrehistoric and Classical Antiquities the westfrieze is now on display in the AcropolisMuseum, accompanied by Sokrates Mavrom-matis’ photographs showing the process ofcleaning the reliefs. We hope soon to see themin the New Acropolis Museum.

The team working on rreeccoorrddiinngg tthhee ssccaatt--tteerreedd mmeemmbbeerrss on the Acropolis, headed bythe achaeologist Mr. Konstantinos Kissa,continued this project in 2004, making alimited contribution to the actual restorationof the monuments, since very few of thefragments of architectural members found areused in the anastelosis. For a considerabletime, moreover, many technicians of thisteam had been transferred to the Nike Tem-ple team. The crucial question of where tohouse the inscriptions that are on the Acrop-olis unfortunately is still unresolved.

Using contemporary technology work con-tinued on the Archive of the Service, theDDooccuummeennttaattiioonn OOffffiiccee and on the DataBase, head of which is the archaeologist FaniMallouchou-Tufano. The archive receivesinformation on a daily basis directly from thegroups working on the monuments.

In March the cinematographic documenta-tion was allotted to an outside collaborator.S. Mavrommatis produced an excellent doc-umentation of the process of cleaning thefrieze with Laser, both with photographs andvideo. As for purely theoretical matters: work beganon the final report on the restoration projectof the Parthenon opisthonaos with the col-laboration of all the engineers, conservatorsand archaeologists who had taken part in it,and with P. Kouphopoulos as coordinator.The writing up of the work on the east façadeof the temple remained unfinished. The edit-ing of the text on the Erechtheion restoration(1979-1987), left unfinished by the late AlekosPapanikolaou, was undertaken by Mrs. F.Mallouchou-Tufano, while the drawings havebeen reduced in size so that we can proceedwith the final lay-out of the book and in 2006its publishing.

The OOffffiiccee ooff IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn aanndd EEdduuccaattiioonncovers the management and interventions onthe monuments determined by contempo-rary criteria, from the standpoint of infor-mation and the diffusion of new knowledgethat comes from research and from everydayexperience. As in previous years, the Officecomprises Mrs. Cornelia Hatziaslani, archi-tect-archaeologist, Irini Kaïmara and Assim-ina Leonti, both archaeologists. In collabo-ration with the First Ephorate of ClassicalAntiquities and with other departments ofthe Service, its activities were most success-ful both in Greece and abroad. On the occasion of the Olympic Games, aspecial programme was organised on the sub-ject of the corresponding games in ancientAthens, the Panathenaia. This began with aseminar for educators, the distribution ofmuseum kits and booklets and ended withthe 8th symposium “Educators and Pro-grammes about the Acropolis”. Eleven thou-sand five hundred children took part, some1800 students participated in the regulareducational programmes and twice thisnumber used the museum kits. It is worthnoting that up to now 720 museum kits havebeen distributed in Greece and another 210to Greek and other schools abroad, in 25countries. In addition, the Office issued fournew publications and arranged to have thefolding booklet and the CD-Rom on the

1133

AAtthheennaa NNiikkee TTeemmppllee.. SStteeeell ggrriidd ffoorr ssuuppppoorrttiinngg tthhee ccllaassssiiccaall bbuuiillddiinngg.. PPhhoottoo KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaass,, 22000044

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. EExxhhiibbiittiioonn ooff tthhee wweesstt ffrriieezzee,, cclleeaanneedd aanndd ssttrruuccttuurraallllyy rreessttoorreedd,, iinn tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss MMuusseeuumm.. PPhhoottoo SS.. MMaavvrroommmmaattiiss,, 22000044

struct an access to the Acropolis for disabledpeople by means of equipment that wouldrun parallel to the pathway followed by thegeneral public. Further investigation showedimmediately that this solution would impedethe flow of visitors, restricting even furtherpassages that are narrow and restricted atpeak hours. At the same time the capacity ofthe system for disabled people would be veryreduced, approx. 10 per day, due to the longroute and the very low approved speed of thesuitable platforms (approx. 7 m/min). So thissolution was rejected, in favour of themast–and–lift, but with consideration ofsome other possible sites around the Rock.

In the Spring of 2004 another project wasinvestigated with two lifts in the area of theBelvedere: one from the “Peripatos” guidedon an inclined mast to the foot of the “Belve-dere” tower and one on a vertical mast in thehollow tower. In this case the inclined mast,hidden in a natural recess in the Rock, wouldbe less visible. On the other hand accessfrom the “Peripatos” to the lift and from thetop of lift to the Rock would be more diffi-cult in comparison to the site near theErechtheion. A bigger difference in heightwould have to be spanned and the mastwould have to be directly anchored into theRock rather than into a modern stone wall.Furthermore, to change from one lift to theother, a steel platform would have to beinstalled, a door would have to be openedthrough the Northern wall of the“Belvedere” tower, and a trap door on thefloor of the terrace. All these interventionsto a medieval building would be irreversible.Another disadvantage of this solution is thepoor access for transportation and assemblyof the various parts, which would increasethe building time and cost, considering alsothe additional infrastructure required in the“Belvedere” area.

After all the above, in May 2004, with theOlympic and Parolympic games very close,it was decided, with the consent of the Cen-tral Archaeological Council of the Ministryof Culture, to make a temporary installationof lift and mast in the Erechtheion area, asoriginally suggested. At the same time theother minor interventions required to gainaccess to the lift were approved, that is the

levelling of the slopes and the paving of thenorth Peripatos (so as to be strong enoughto support road traffic) from the entrance ofthe Acropolis to the lift ground station, theconstruction of a new staircase suitable forthe installation of a stair platform to bridgethe 5m height difference between the Peri-patos and the lift ground station, the build-ing and installation of a steel cantilever plat-form to connect the lift top station with thesmall square NW of the Erechtheion, thepaving of walkways on the Acropolis rock,suitable for wheelchairs, the installation of avertical lift platform to gain access to the

Museum, as well as W.C.’s for the disabled.YSMA proceeded to the necessary designand construction, so that the system wouldbe ready to operate by the opening of theGames. Thus, within record time, the firstwheelchair reached the Acropolis on the12th of August 2004. As a demostration ofthe system capacity, within the 10-dayperiod of the Parolympic Games, up to 130wheelchairs were transported daily, with3400 disabled visitors and escorts.

Concerning the technical details of the sys-tem, the following may be noted: the lift,installed by the “B-Lift VALSAMIDIS”company, spans a 25m height from the

north Peripatos to the top of the AcropolisWall in the Erechtheion area. The lift cabinrolls along a truss mast with equilateral tri-angular cross-section of approx. 300mmbase by 400mm height. A rack is fixed at oneend of the base along the mast, engaging apinion powered by an electric motor andspeed reducer, supported on the cabin. Themast is inclined, 12Ô off-vertical, followingthe slope of the Rock and it is anchored at5m spans.

The whole power unit and control gear arefixed to the cabin frame and follow it as ittravels. There is no engine room, only a roof-less ground station booth. Electric power issupplied through an electric cable, followingthe upward movement of the cabin throughspecial guides, while on its way down it iscoiled into a barrel in the ground station. The4kW electric motor is inverter controlled,securing progressive starting and braking.The motor is equipped with a spring loadedsafety brake, that applies automatically incase of power failure, and can be released bya hand operated lever to park the cabin atthe ground station by gravity, and release thepassengers.

The lift is equipped with an additional safetydevice made by “ALIMAK”, that continu-ously monitors the cabin speed through itsown pinion engaged to the mast rack. Assoon as the speed exceeds by a certain smallpercentage the nominal speed of the cabin,(loss of control) the safety device cuts off thepower to the motor and applies a safetybrake (in addition to the motor brake).

The lift, type P600, is made by the Italiancompany “CIMAR Ponteggi S.p.A.”,licensed by the Swedish company “ALI-MAK AB”. It has a 5-person or 600kg loadcapacity. The cabin floor dimensions of 1mx 31,5m allow the simultaneous transport ofa wheelchair and three standing passengers(including the operator). Two upwards slid-ing transverse doors 0,93m broad are usedto enter and leave the cabin (west at theground and east on top). The doors have asteel frame and a dense strong grid, allow-ing visibility and low wind resistance. Thecabin speed is 0,43m/s, covering the verti-cal distance of 25m in approx. 1min.

The access of the Acropolis to disabled peo-ple had been considered repeatedly in the past,but a definite solution was never given, due tothe inherent difficulties and the numerousparameters that had to be dealt with.

By the end of 2002 and given the generalinterest of the Ministry of Culture in pro-viding access to archaeological sites for dis-abled people, YSMA was asked (as a techni-cal service) to investigate the problem andsuggest a solution, in cooperation with theFirst Ephorate of Prehistoric and ClassicalAntiquities. Action was taken in 2003, which

was declared “accessibility year to culturalsites”, and the problem was finally solved in2004, year of the Olympic Games in Athens.

The problem as a whole had many aspectsand many problems. The main problem washow to transport the disabled visitors froma place with road access to a certain point onthe Acropolis Rock, from which wheelchairscould move to as many destinations as pos-sible. Another aspect, easier to resolve, butequally important, was access to the Acrop-olis Museum, the floor of which lies about3m below ground. Moreover, passagewayssuitable for wheelchairs had to be designedon the rock itself as well as W.C.’s appro-priate for people with special needs.

Various solutions were considered for solv-ing the main problem, chiefly a lift, a funic-ular railway or teleferique. The funicularrailway was quickly abandoned because itentailed heavy infrastructure on the rock,which would be visible from many parts ofAthens. Although aesthetically better, the ideaof a teleferique was also abandoned becauseof high cost, long completion time and themassive station required on the Rock.

From the beginning the installation of a liftseemed to be the most flexible solution, withcertain restrictions: an almost vertical part

of the Rock had to be chosen for the instal-lation, the length of the required cantileverembarkation platform over the Wall had tobe minimised, the engine room had to beminimal or non-existent (lack of space), andthe “well” for guiding the cabin should beomitted (aesthetic reasons).

A construction-site lift travelling along atrussed mast of small cross-section without“well” or engine room was considered suit-able. Additional advantages of this type oflift are: the suspension of the motor mecha-nism from the cabin frame, allowing easysafety-parking of the cabin at the ground,stop by the operator in case of power fail-ure, and the availability of a type with a

slightly off-vertical inclined mast, adaptingitself to the slope of the Rock and minimiz-ing the required length of the top can-tilevered platform.

The best position for the installation of themast proved to be the north side of theRock, where it is almost vertical in certainplaces. Another advantage of this place is theroad access to the foot of the Rock, withsome improvements to the paving of theancient “Peripatos” (the circular road at thefoot of the Acropolis Hill). The small squareNW of the Erechtheion seemed to be the

first and best place for landing on the Rock.In this area the mast could be fixed close andparallel to the Rock, only 12Ô off vertical.Almost all the mast supporting struts (exceptfor the top ones) could be anchored to thestrong buttress wall built in the 1930’s to sup-port the overhanging Rock, thus leaving theRock itself and the fortification Wall intact.

Although this solution was technically readyby June 2003, its implementation had beendelayed because of official reservations aboutthe aesthetic consequences of the mast andtop platform. Instructions were given to con-tinue considering other possible solutions.

One of the solutions considered was to con-

1155TThhee aacccceessss ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss ttoo ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss

GGeenneerraall vviieeww ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss ffrroomm tthhee nnoorrtthhwweesstt.. VViissiibbllee iiss tthhee lliifftt rreecceennttllyy iinnssttaalllleedd ffoorr tthhee ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss.. PPhhoottoo FF.. MMaalllloouucchhoouu--TTuuffaannoo,, 22000044 TThhee lliifftt ffoorr tthhee ddiissaabblleedd oonn tthhee nnoorrtthh ssllooppee ooff tthheeAAccrrooppoolliiss.. PPhhoottoo PP.. KKoonnssttaannttooppoouullooss,, 22000044

1177

The top station of the lift is a platform in theform of a girder made of a strong hot-gal-vanized steel section HEA 200, measuring9,4m long by 1,6m wide. The longer part

of it, behind the Wall, spans like a bridgethe gap between the Wall and the squareNW of the Erechtheion, supported on twoconcrete blocks, the outer lying on the Wall.

The shorter, cantilever part, projects 2,4mbeyond the Wall face. The inner part,together with the concrete blocks providethe necessary counterweight for the stability

of the construction. The platform axis dif-fers by approx. 10Ô to the west from the ver-tical line of the Wall. The ground station of the lift stands approx.

5m higher than the Peripatos. To span this,a new, 1,8m broad, concrete staircase wasbuilt, that was also used to support the guid-ing rail of a staircase platform, made espe-cially for disabled people by the “HIRO-LIFT Company”, type “HIRO 320”. It issuitable for open-air, public operation, witha 225kg lifting capacity and a 7 m/min trav-elling speed. It is self powered by batteries,and is not subject to power failures. The bat-teries are automatically charged, each timethe platform parks at either end of its travel.The 15m travel takes a little more than 2minutes to be covered. A full return trip,with the necessary time for ramp andbracket folding and unfolding requiresapprox. 5 minutes. A fully charged battery,without intermediate charging, can powerapprox. 35 return trips. Obviously, in peri-ods of intense, continuous use (as during theParolympic Games), this platform is theweak link in the transport chain, bothbecause of the speed (5 min return trip,compared to 2 min return trip for the“ALIMAK” lift) and availability. To solvethe second problem during the ParolympicGames, a fully charged spare battery waskept at the worksite, so that the empty bat-tery could be replaced.

The Acropolis Museum floor lies 3m under-ground. The staircases leading down to theMuseum are overcrowded with visitors dur-ing peak hours, so that the operation of astaircase platform would be a problem. Theinstallation of a vertical platform lift, lead-ing to the Museum yard in a transparentwell, was considered a better solution. Itwas made by the Austrian manufacturer“STAKO” has a capacity of 250kg, and itsfloor area allows for a wheelchair and anescort. In case of power failure, a handoperated crank can safely land the plat-form.

Finally, the north Peripatos was paved toallow access for both wheelchairs and carsor vans from the main Acropolis entrance tothe lift ground station. Many walkways onthe Acropolis Rock were paved to allowaccess to wheelchairs and two new W.C.’sfor the disabled were built: one next to theMuseum and the other at the entrance of theAcropolis.

AAccrrooppoolliiss.. LLaannddiinngg ppooiinntt ooff tthhee lliifftt ffoorr tthhee ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss nnoorrtthhwweesstt ooff tthhee EErreecchhtthheeiioonn..PPhhoottoo.. PP.. KKoonnssttaannnnttooppoouullooss,, 22000044

IInnaauugguurraattiioonn ooff tthhee lliifftt ffoorr tthhee ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss oonn tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss.. 1122 AAuugguusstt 22000055

M.Ioannidou, the director of YSMA, wasresponsible for coordinating the entire pro-ject. The undersigned designed the alterna-tive solutions and the electrical and mechan-ical aspect of the work. The architect V.Manidaki made the architectural study ofthe debarcation platform and supervised theimplementation of the study and the preciselocation of the mast.

Most valuable for the completion of thework was the contribution of the electricaland mechanical team of YSMA, whoworked long hours with great enthusiasmboth for the construction and for its properfunctioning. Finally, there was close collab-oration throuthout the project with theAcropolis Ephorate and particularly with D.Bithas, engineer of the Acropolis Ephorate,who supervised the construction of the path-ways on the Acropolis Rock, the bathroomsand the adjustment of the Peripatos. Also,the topographer K. Kazamiakis, who sur-veyed the area where the lift was installed.Valuable also was the assistance of the Direc-torate for the Studies of the Museums of theMinistry of Culture.

The Firm “VALSAMIDIS ATEA” sup-plied and installed the “HIROLIFT” liftplatform, the “ALIMAK” lift mast and the“STAKO” lift of the Museum.

The work was completed in record time andfunctioned regularly, mainly through thehigh technical knowledge and skill, the per-sonnel and the technical equipment of theAcropolis Restoration Service.

SSppyyrrooss OOiikkoonnoommooppoouulloossMechanical and Electrical Engineer

In charge of the electromechanical supportof the Acropolis Restoration Works

The design of artificial stone and the super-vision of producing the copies of the westand south friezes of the Parthenon wereamong the activities of the structural engi-neer that were carried out during the period2001-2004. The study for the restorationof the opisthonaos by P. Kouphopoulosplanned the replacing of the original blocksthat were removed from the monument,with new blocks, each one of which is amarble member to which the artificial stonecopy is attached. An archaeological studyof the same subject by A.Mantis, likewise

preceded the work. The present note dis-cusses elements of the study of the mater-ial design and the reinforcement of thestructural member, the experimental partof which was carried out in collaborationwith other research institutions. Emphasisis placed on design logic rather than onanalysis of the technical results of the pro-gramme.

AApppprrooaacchh ttoo tthhee ddeessiiggnn ooff nneeww mmaatteerriiaallssffoorr uussee iinn aarrcchhaaeeoollooggiiccaall ssiitteessThe use of artificial stone at archaeologicalsites, either to complete ancient members orto make new ones, is an old practice inanastelosis. Its use must be preceded byappropriate research, the extent of whichdepends both on the specific problem and

on the available data about the assessment ofprevious such interventions. The questionof the design is complex because the mate-rials and compositions to be used for theproduction of artificial stone must meet cer-tain specifications that depend on factorssuch as the physicochemical and mechani-cal properties of the ancient materials, theposition of the structural member –which isto be completed or replaced by artificialstone– in the building and thus the expectedmechanical actions as well as the conditionsof exposure to the environment, which

introduce physicochemical and biologicalactions (Table 1).

The above factors lead to an equal numberof requirements in terms of materials (Table2), which frequently conflict with eachother. The materials chosen, moreover,must perform very well over time, they musthave durability, both to protect the ancientmaterial and for reasons of economy.

The question of life span in reversible inter-ventions is frequently not given the properattention. Yet reversibility is relative inmeaning –at least in the field of materials,which is the subject at hand– for everyremoval of material from a previous inter-vention is inevitably accompanied by loss of

TThhee ddeessiiggnn ooff aarrttiiffiicciiaall ssttoonnee ffoorr tthhee pprroodduuccttiioonn ooffccaasstt ccooppiieess ooff tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn ffrriieezzee

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. VViieeww ffrroomm tthhee wweesstt wwiitthh tthhee ccaasstt ccooppiieess ooff tthhee ffrriieezzee iinn ppllaaccee..PPhhoottoo FF.. MMaalllloouucchhoouu--TTuuffaannoo,, 22000044

1199

pozzolan in replacement of a 20% weightcement content as well as a reference mixdesign.

Summary of the results of the researchBy increasing the maximum grain-size andwith the proper grain-size distribution, the

required water content was reduced to theextent desired and as a result porosity wasreduced. The capillary absorption factorwas noticeably reduced and strengthsincreased. While the volume of water per-meable pores of the compositions contain-ing pozzolan was higher than that of the

compositions without pozzolan, the totalpore volume (measured with mercury intru-sion porosimetry) is lower. This result isimportant because the durability of thematerials is affected particularly by fineporosity.

From the durability tests, the reduction ofwater permeability in relation to the refer-ence material was demonstrated. The dura-bility tests carried out in cycles of wettingand drying showed that the loss of weightof the specimen containing pozzulan wasalways less than that of the specimen with-out pozzolan. Durability tests in sea waterdemonstrated again the superior perfor-mance of the pozzolanic specimen with alarger aggregate grain-size. While the pres-ence of relatively large aggregate could meana greater sensitivity to reactions of the typeof the alkali-silica, in the end all the trialsshowed a notable volume stability and dura-bility. Finally, durability tests in acid solutionshowed that damage initiation is retarded inthe pozzulan specimen in relation to thosewithout pozzulan as well as in the specimenwith a larger aggregate grain-size.

Comments on the reinforcement designlogicThe excessive thinness of the cast slabs (10cm plus the relief thickness) aggravated anumber of problems of reinforcement thatare known in thin pieces of this sort: (a) therectangular form of the steel anchor slabscreates a danger of localised cracking, and(b) the reinforcement that is introducedinto the body of the material to attach theanchor slabs works as a dowel and is subjectto strong shear, resulting in the develop-ment of strong splitting forces. To resolvethe above problems, a sort of cage rein-forcement was studied and applied. On thebasis of this design, even if there is extremedisplacement on the level of the entablature,the structural member will not split, butthere will be localised crushing of the mate-rial below the dowel. Finally, with the cur-vature of the reinforcement the corners ofthe copy are strengthened and better pro-tected.

CCoonncclluussiioonnss aanndd ppeerrssppeeccttiivveessAnalysis of the test results and observation

TThhee ssttrruuccttuurree ooff tthhee ffrriieezzee ooff tthhee ooppiisstthhoonnaaooss dduurriinngg iittss aannaasstteelloossiiss:: ((aa)) vviieeww ttoowwaarrdd tthhee nnoorrtthh aanndd ((bb)) vviieeww ttoowwaarrddtthhee NNEE,, sshhoowwiinngg cclleeaarrllyy tthhee ssttrruuccttuurree ooff tthhee aarrttiiffiicciiaall mmeemmbbeerrss tthhaatt rreeppllaacceedd tthhee ffrriieezzee bblloocckkss..PPhhoottooss EE..--EE.. TToouummbbaakkaarrii,, 22000044

authentic material. Furthermore, a limited lifespan, even of materials or compositions thathave been proved compatible with their sub-stratum, implies a higher cost of repair/con-servation compared to a longer-lived solutionand, obviously, the tying up of funds thatcould productively be used for other works.

Finally, the complexity of the requirementsthat the material shout meet, and the con-tradictions that frequently accompany thoserequirements, transform the problem ofmaterial design to one of optimization.Research thus becomes inevitable. Unfor-tunately, materials are often applied simplyon an empirical basis, without the necessaryresearch, despite the fact that the cost ofsuch research is small compared to that ofproduction and application.

Consequently, in the design of materials itis not only the factors pertaining to eachmember and its environment that must beconsidered. It must also be demonstratedthat each new proposal is not only a perti-nent answer to the problem posed by the

archaeologist but, in addition, that its dura-bility is at least greater than the solutionapplied earlier.

TThhee ccooppiieess ooff tthhee wweesstt aanndd ssoouutthh ffrriieezzee oofftthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn

Purpose of the studyThe first aim was to eliminate the networkof microcracks that sometimes develop onthe surface of cast copies. The second aimof the study was to demonstrate the generalimprovement in durability of the artificialstone through the modifications proposed.

Design logic - methodologyThe first step was to evaluate the factors thatcould affect the behaviour of the materialsin their specific location and for their spe-cific function. Thus, in addition to search-ing in the bibliography, the Acropolis sitewas extensively investigated for the detec-tion of mortar and/or concrete remainingfrom earlier applications in order to evalu-ate their performance. The results of theabove research, together with the study of

the properties of the materials that weshould use, enabled us to make an initialinterpretion of the cause of the micro-cracking and to define the desired perfor-mance requirements that the final materialshould meet (both in terms of mechanicalproperties and in terms of durability).

For the given materials and reference com-position, the mechanism of surface crack-ing and the general performance in envi-ronmental actions were related to the grain-size distribution of the aggregate and theporosity of the surface of the hardenedmaterial. As a result, the perfect material(compared to the reference material) shouldhave the following characteristics:

ñ reduced porosityñ increased strength, but less than that ofPentelic marbleñ improved durability under certain char-acteristic environmental actions

Achievement of the above, for the givenmaterial, was through

ñ the study and adaptation of the grain-sizedistribution of the aggregateñ study of the influence of the maximumaggregate grainñ reduction of water contentñ use of natural pozzolans to improve theinterfacial transitional zone and to bind theportlandite originating in the cementhydration ñ reduction of the cement content by sub-stituting pozzolan for part of the cement ñ proper curing of the cast members inorder to cope with expected high hydrationtemperature resulting from the great fine-ness of the cement usedñ curing of the structural member in waterfor at least three weeks after casting.

Materials that were usedThe materials used are: white Portlandcement of categories I and II 52.5, purequartz sand of various grain-sizes and nat-ural pozzolan with a maximum grain-size of75 Ìm. All the material underwent qualitycontrol. A total of six different mix designshave been studied, three of which werewithout pozzolan and the rest with natural

In situ materials Mechanical strengths, porosity, grain-size distribution,chemical and mineralogical composition …

Position of the Foundations, bearing element of the colonnade or entablature,member on the bearer element of retaining wall, presence or not of connectors …

Environment Sulphate/carbonic etc. pollution, sea aerosol, sulphur from the ground, rising damp, freezing, biological erosion, salts …

Economy Conditions of production (equipment, personnel, place ofproduction, period of production), cost, accessibility(for production, application, future conservation), availablebudget, importance of the monument and the work …

The mass of the Workability, water capacity/cement/pozzolans/lime content,material type and compression strength of the aggregate, grain-size

distribution of the aggregate, maximum grain-size, quality ofinterfacial transition zone, microstructural characteristicsof the binder …

The surface of the Speed of carbonation of the surface, compression strengthmaterial of the material, grain-size of the aggregate, cement/pozzolan

content, curing conditions …

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TTaabbllee 11.. FFaaccttoorrss aaffffeeccttiinngg tthhee ddeessiiggnn ooff tthhee rreeppaaiirr mmaatteerriiaallss

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TThhee rruuiinniinngg ooff tthhee mmoonnuummeenntt -- tthhee mmoonnuu--mmeennttaalliissiinngg ooff tthhee rruuiinnThe most significant day for the Parthenon,after its initial dedication, may well be that ofits destruction in 1687. For this day becamea landmark, not just for the catastrophe itself,but because this event, unlike others in thepast, perhaps less serious, was never refutedfrom that time on. The destruction, annihi-lating the role of the Parthenon as a building,denuded it of every utilitarian value anddefinitively altered the meaning of its essen-tial nature. The Parthenon passed the nextone and a half centuries in a state of utilitar-

ian non-existence, which turned it into anexcellent source of building material andsculptural decoration for the villas of theworshippers of antiquity.

The building’s conversion into a symbol waspromoted by the philhellenic spirit of theEuropeans of the 19th century and the neo-classicism of the Bavarians of the newly cre-ated Greek state. Its ruined condition pro-

vided the perfect scenario for its heroic ide-alisation in the spirit of European romanti-cism. The historic revival of the Greek con-sciousness was supported by the raising of themonumental remains of the glorious past ofancient Greece to the status symbols. Thus,this particular ruin, which happened not tohave been repaired, was transformed into aromantic hero. Here was the ideal material-ization of the heroic character of the nationitself. Its new manifestation had nothing todo with its historical function, but ratherwith its display as a symbolic ruin at a timewhen its value as a witness of memory and

archetypal architecture and culture was farmore significant than any utilitarian value,which, indeed, would have reduced it as asymbol. Briefly, when the Parthenon againbecame the centre of interest at a time whenantiquity was being romanticised, it wasautomatically accepted as a ruin without anypractical use, which would itself haveobscured the pure truth of the building as adirect messenger from Perikles himself.

NNeeww iinntteerrvveennttiioonnssIt was this spirit of preserving the pic-turesque and emphasizing the symboliccharacter of the ruin that inspired all inter-ventions from the moment in 1834, whenthe Acropolis was proclaimed an archaeo-logical site on the proposal of the architect-archaeologist Leo von Klenze, who laid thefoundations for the approach to the restora-tions that ensued. Klenze himself carried outthe first restorations of the Parthenon. Theywere followed by those of K. Pittakis andA.R. Rangabé and, in the 20th century, bythe restorations of the civil engineer N.

Balanos. All these works gave the monu-ments of the rock a new appearance. Theinterventions of Balanos, radical both inmethod and in the new visual result whenthey were completed, gave us as an alibi theappearance that had already been imposedon the monuments and their serious struc-tural problems as well. These were argu-ments both necessary and sufficient for theirre-restoration by the YSMA.

of the behaviour of the cast copies –someof which are now more than two years old–showed that our design logic was justified.Surface cracks were successfuly eliminated,and the durability of the material againstexpected environmental actions was signif-icantly improved in relation to the refer-ence material. For the future, we believethat a number of conclusions from the fieldof chemistry and technology of cementmaterials should be taken into account andthat the use of fibres, calcareous aggregatesand organic additives as well as the appli-cation of surface protection measures to thecopies themselves should be allowed. Withthe investigation of even more complex mixdesigns, we believe that not only will more

accurate copies be possible but that we willbe able to eliminate the miniscule holes thatappear on the final surface due to air entrap-ment.

AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttssThe necessity to investigate the subject ofthe design of artificial stone was supportedby the Technical Advisor of the restorationwork in the opisthonaos, Assistant Profes-sor P. Kouphopoulos, architect engineer.For the formulation of the requirementsfrom the archaeological point of view andfor information about the previous actionsundertaken in the past, discussions wereheld with the Ephor Dr. A. Mantis, archae-ologist, and with the civil engineer Dr. C.Zambas respectively.

The application of the test programme wascarried out in collaboration with the fol-lowing laboratories: the first phase of thetesting was done at the Laboratory of Rein-forced Concrete of the NTUA by permis-sion of Associate Professor E. Vintzilaiou.Most of the tests for the second phase weredone at the Greek Cement Research Cen-tre (EKET) under the supervision of Mrs.Ch. Malami, Dr., chemical engineer. Thepetrographic analysis was carried out at theEKET by Mr. P. Tsakiridis, Dr., chemicalengineer. The durability tests in cycles ofwetting and drying and in emersion in acidsolution were carried out at the Centre forStone Conservation by Mrs. Ch. Lazari,

conservator of Antiquities, with the super-vision of the Director of the Laboratory,Mrs. K. Kouzeli, Dr. of Chemistry.

I warmly thank them all for our splendidcollaboration.

The copies were produced by the YSMACast Workshop (messrs. G. Argyris, T.Kayiorgis, D. Katsaros, G. Liakopoulos, H.Mangaphas and A. Baibas). Once again Ithank them for our splendid collaboration,which was based on constant communica-tion, our regular meetings prior to decision-making and to the personal commitmentsmade for the date of completion of thework. This practice resulted in the timelydelivery of the work and the minimisationof delay.

Approval of the funding for the researchprogramme was given by the ESMA, towhich, for my part, I express my thanks andgratitude.

EElleennii--EEvvaa TToouummbbaakkaarriiDr. Structural Engineer

of the Parthenon Restoration Project,in charge of the opisthonaos programme

TThhee PPaarrtthheennoonn aass aa ssyymmbboolliicc rruuiinn.. IIlllluussttrraatteedd bbyy JJ.. DD.. LLee RRooyy,, 11775555

TThhee ttaallee ooff eeiigghhtt ccoolluummnnss ooff tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee

((aa)) RReeiinnffoorrcceemmeenntt ooff aa ttyyppiiccaall ssllaabb ((ssttuuddyy bbyy:: EE..--EE.. TToouummbbaakkaarrii)),, ((bb)) tthhee ssppeecciiaall ccaassee ooff tthhee ccooppyy ooff tthhee ffrriieezzee bblloocckk SSWW:: tthhee jjooiinniinngg ooff tthhee tthhiinn ssllaabb aanndd aa ffuullllyy ccaasstt sseeccttiioonn..PPhhoottoo EE..--EE.. TToouummbbaakkaarrii,, 22000033

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CCoonnccrreettiinngg tthhee aarrttiiffiicciiaall ssttoonnee ffoorr tthhee pprroodduuccttiioonn oofftthhee ccooppyy ooff bblloocckk WW IIII.. PPhhoottoo AA.. BBaaiibbaass,, 22000033

The new programmes of intervention on theParthenon did not deviate from the princi-ples of preserving the form of the ruin.Accepting the “Balanos form” of the mon-ument as an existing condition, the aim ofthe interventions was a comparable visualresult. Scattered members whose originalplace in the monument is certain, are incor-porated in the new intervention whereverthat does not alter the general image.

The intervention being carried out duringrecent years includes in the study of themonument a) research on its architecturalcharacteristics, b) the archaeological facts,and c) the recording of previous interven-tions. The documentation for these inter-ventions is frequently insufficient or missingaltogether. By increasing this documenta-tion, we have a better understanding of theolder methods used and our interpretationof the phenomena caused by those methodsis more accurate.

The purpose of the previous interventionswas to improve the aesthetic and morpho-logical appearance of the monument. Today,the goal of anastelosis is to come closer astructure compatible with the ancient formof the building. The aesthetic of modern inter-vention has freed itself of puristic approachesand it is now a requirement that traces of thehistorical vicissitudes of the monument beretained. The archaeological importance of abuilding such as the Parthenon is so greatthat in every intervention, the consequencesfor its historical evidence must seriously beconsidered. The characterization of a mon-ument as the historical evidence of the placeto which it belongs, is far removed from theidea that it represents one and only oneperiod of its existence.

NNoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddeeOne of the 12 Parthenon restoration pro-grammes (according to the YSMA’s classi-fication) is that of the north colonnade. Thedestruction of the Parthenon in 1687 byMorosini’s bombardment, among otherthings, felled eight of the columns and theentablature of the north colonnade. Apartfrom a limited attempt at restoration by Pit-takis in 1844, the architectural membersknocked out at the time of the bombard-

ment remained on the ground until thebeginning of the third decade of the 20thcentury, when Balanos began his interventionon the north colonnade. He began hisrestoration in 1923 and finished it in 1930,using methods acceptable at that time,employing reinforced concrete for filling inthe members and joining and strengtheningthem with iron clamps and iron double-T

beams. The rusting out and swelling of theiron reinforcements caused new cracks in theancient marble of the members, accompaniedby the well-known serious structural prob-lems. The fact that the architectural memberswere not reset in their original positions,meant that the north colonnade was alteredmorphologically.

The contemporary reassessment of Balanos’intervention on the north colonnade isfounded in the framework of a form that hasbeen entrusted and accepted, since memoryhas been re-established in a new reality andthe new anastelosis is aimed at correcting thetechnical and scientific “errors” of theBalanos intervention. The “justification”for the new intervention is based primarilyon arguments concerning the actual rescueof the monument and then on correcting

the positions of the members, on the aes-thetic differentiation of the interventionsand on objections in terms of methodologyand practice. The rescue aspect of the newinterventions provides an argument forescaping a re-examination of theoreticalquestions about the historical character orgenuiness of the form. The refutation of thenatural historical continuity, moreover, is no

longer pertinent, for the “Balanos form”–which contains just such a refutation– withits existence over a period of some 70 years,has acquired a weighty position in the his-tory of the monument and has thereforebeen considered to be a decision alreadymade.

In 1998, the civil engineer C. Zambas com-pleted the study for the restoration of thenorth colonnade, which was approved bythe ESMA and by the Central Archaeolog-ical Council of the Ministry of Culture(KAS). Despite that, the proposal to beginwork received no response from the KASuntil February 2001, after a new time-sched-ule had been proposed. The restoration wasto be based on the approved study by Zam-bas. In October 2001 dismantling of themembers of the north colonnade began. In

2233

February 2003, during the first effort to re-set the drums of the 10th column, a dis-crepancy was observed in the diameters andheights, which made necessary a revision ofthe study. Soon, new information about themorphology and construction of the columnsmade it clear that a new study was needed forthe rearrangement of the members of thenorth colonnade.

TThhee nneeww ffiinnddssThe observation by the undersigned, inAugust 2003, that the drums were consis-tently not precisely circular in section, thatthere was a systematic discrepancy in theirinterior diameters (i.e. of the diameters fromthe middle of each flute to the middle of theopposite flute), provided a new, very impor-tant criterion for comparing the drums inorder to find their authentic vicinity. The inte-rior diameters of each drum were found tohave a range that increased/decreased with avariation as much as ~3 millimeters! Discrep-ancies in the interior diameters of the drumshad been observed by both Dinsmoor andZambas, but had been interpreted as chancedifferences of no importance. The recentobservation, however, that the phenomenonwas consistent and systematic has permittedits use as a criterion for placing the drums.

Yet, what did we actually observe? Flutes,some deeper, some shallower. Exploring themeaning of such a discovery takes us backto the process of making the monument.We already know from Vitruvius that thefinal dressing of the flutes was done in situafter the drums had been set and the columnfinished, using as a guide indications on thelower level of the column and on the upperpart at the level of the capital. We may wellimagine that this finishing followed specificprocedures for bringing each column intoline with the system of entasis/meiosis, andwith other refinements of the monument aswell. The dressing of the columns may be anobvious procedure, but the aim of so muchaccuracy and similarity, and the actual con-trolling of the process, can only remain inthe realm of theoretical, even if convincing,hypotheses, without further evidence apartfrom the result in itself.

To explain the quite unexpected disimilar-

ity in the section of the circumferential flutesraises the dilemma of whether this was bychoice or by chance. Have we perhaps evi-dence for an attempt at controlled chiaro-scuro of the fluting of the columns? Is this anew refinement? Or is it simply an astonish-ing proof of the “artistry” to be expected inwork that is done by hand, even on such a“perfect” monument as the Parthenon, with

such deviations naturally in balance with itsperfection? The certainty that strict mathe-matical rules were followed in a monumentwith plasticity, perhaps surpasses the degreeof adherence to such rules, in a work thatseems to proclaim a dialectical relationshipbetween canons that are rather empirical andan artistic desire for an original sculpturalcreation. The Parthenon, moreover, is per-

haps the highest achievement of a fresh,lively, original and, why not, experimentalart (art meaning also architecture). Just sowas the art of Perikles’ generation.

Among the probable reasons for the phe-nomenon, the historical factor of erosionmust not be underestimated, especially onthe north part of the monument, which isexposed to the strongest wind and greatestdampness, suffering the severe results of itsnorthern orientation. The most accurateobservations, as far as the orientation of thesmaller diameter, that is the deeper flutes,were made on the drums that were undis-turbed until the first restoration of the 19thcentury. These are the lower drums of the6th and 9th columns (with a total of 9drums), most of which preserve all theirdiameters, thus providing full information

FFiilllliinngg iinn aann aarrcchhiittrraavvee bblloocckk ffrroomm tthhee nnoorrtthh ccoolloonn--nnaaddee wwiitthh nneeww mmaarrbbllee.. PPhhoottoo LL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, 22000044

PPaarrtthheennoonn.. NNoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee aafftteerr rreessttoorraattiioonn bbyy BBaallaannooss,, vviieeww ffrroomm ssoouutthheeaasstt.. PPhhoottoo SS.. MMeelleettzziiss,, 11995588 PPaarrtthheennoonn.. RReessttoorraattiioonn ooff tthhee nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee iinn pprroocceessss,, vviieeww ffrroomm nnoorrtthhwweesstt.. PPhhoottoo LL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, 22000044

2255

During the process of dismantling the tem-ple of Athena Nike, problems were observedin the position of the cella wall blocks. Inparticular there were inconsistencies in theposition of the sockets for the ancient dow-els. Moreover the positions of the sockets ofthe ancient dowels and of the locking blocks(the last blocks set in each course, kataphra-gai) were found in some instances to differfrom those which A. Orlandos himself, theprevious restorer of the monument, had cor-rectly published. For this reason, it wasdecided to inspect the wall blocks for accu-racy of position and in order to find possi-ble errors in setting.

Used for this study were the survey drawingsof the architectural members that had beenmade by the architects G. Antoniou, V.Manidakis, and the draughtsmen Th. Mou-topoulos, V. Savvatianou and others. In addi-tion a great many additional measurementswere made by the undersigned. The entirestudy was followed by and discussed exten-sively with the architect, D. Giraud, who hadwritten the initial study for the work. The108 blocks of courses II - IX of the monu-ment were the focus of our study.

MMeetthhooddTo begin with, the wall blocks were sepa-rated according to their basic geometricalfeatures (length, common wall block or antablock) into 13 groups, which comprise 4 to32 blocks in each one.

Then the architectural members of the twoeastern antae of the temple were recheckedfor accuracy of their vertical positioning, inorder to determine the heights of thecourses. The eastern antae were chosenbecause they preserve sockets from thebalustrade and the later constructions in thearea of the pronaos. These sockets have par-allels in the east columns and the pilasters.

The blocks of each category were then sep-arated into smaller groups on the basis of thefollowing secondary features:i. The height of the blockii. The existence or not of dowel sockets onthe lower bedding surface of the blockiii. The position of the dowel socket of thelower bedding surface in relation to the outerside of the block, in connection with theordinary wall blocks of the N and S walls.The outer side was distinguished on the basisof the slope of the surfaces of the block –positive on the outer side, negative on theinner.iv. The distances of the dowel sockets in theupper surface of the blocks from the sidesof thrust.

The choice of the above features for puttingthis into effect was made for the followingreasons:i. They are features that are probably stillpreserved on broken blocks as well.ii By using them distinct groups, discernibleone from the other, can be established.

iii Given the small number of membersexamined, the above criteria can in mostcases determine the position of the blocks.

In fact, as emerged from the analysis, thecombination of the above features is uniquefor most of the blocks; the most numerousgroups of blocks with the same combinationof characteristics, have only 4 members. Inthese cases and only these, it is necessary tomake use of specific rather than generalcharacteristics (exact position of morticedclamps and dowels etc) for determiningtheir original location.

Particular emphasis was placed on locatingthe position of the locking blocks, since theyare directly connected with the position ofthe sockets in the wall blocks. Differentplacings of the locking blocks mean also theexistence of different groups of wall blocks– with the socket positions as criterion fortheir adjustment.

CCoonncclluussiioonnssWe have the following results from reset-ting the wall blocks:i. Twenty-two blocks were moved from thepositions they had in the previous interven-tion.ii. A new wall block, found during thecourse of the work east of the work-site, hasbeen put in place on the monument.iii. Two large fragments of wall blocks, rec-ognized as belonging to the temple in D.

about orientation and measurements. Whilesmaller diameters (deeper flutes) may beobserved on the northern flutes, the otherflutes too show such differences in theircross-section, as to suggest that the form waspurposely made “picturesque” through thehand finishing of the fluting by the ancientmarble cutters. Discrepancy in the cross-sec-tion, to be sure, does not mean a similar dis-crepancy in the exterior diameters of thearrises of the flutes. These cannot in any casebe measured accurately because of theirdestruction. Research on this matter is con-tinuing.

Apart from the question of meaning, thephenomenon of discrepancy in the sectionof the flutes makes the setting of adjacentdrums unique. Since the section of thecolumns, on the vertical level, forms a con-tinuous even curve, these increase/decreas-ings of the interior diameters of each drumcan only be alike, with correspondingincrease/decreasing of the initially adjacentdrums, the identification of which we haveexplored in the study for the rearrangement.The matching of the drums does notdepend so much on the diameter of one, butof all ten, if indeed corresponding fluting ispreserved. Thus, the correspondence of as

many as possible diameters for each proba-ble pair of adjacent drums minimizes thepossible matches left.

The original positions of the column drumswere found by means of these new observa-tions, but using also other criteria, which C.Zambas had employed as well in the previ-ous study of the columns. The traces of theirexterior adjacent surfaces, such as the pittingcorrosion, showing the northern orientationof the flutes, the cuttings and the socketsfrom additions and mediaeval constructions

that were supported against the colonnadeprior to the explosion, the fractures anddamage from shock or from the shells of theVenetians during Morosini's bombardment,and also micro-cracks that may continue oninto adjacent drums, etc., were the mainindicative features for the approach and forverifying the solutions that the comparisonof the diameters indicated. The new obser-vations provided a criterion, which was usedas the basic way of locating the position ofthe drums. The final inspection of the cor-respondences was based on the curves ofentasis of the columns, a method used in allprevious studies of the north colonnade (N.Balanos, W.B. Dinsmoor, C. Zambas) forverifying the curve of the vertical section ofthe columns (with the awaited technologi-cal development introduced by C. Zambas,that is, the electronical pages of MicrosoftExcel).

The new study for the rearrangement of theeight north columns of the Parthenon wassubmitted by the undersigned in June 2004and was approved by the ESMA after com-pletion and with supplementary studies ofthe column capitals, which were finished atthe beginning of July 2004. Resetting of thedrums began in July 2004. To date (March2005), 57 drums, out of a total of the 83drums of the eight columns, have been set intheir original positions, in accordance withthe new study for their rearrangement. Reset-ting of the column capitals is to follow. Theseare now in the process of structural restora-tion as are also the architraves and the upperentablature. In accordance with the proposedschedule, completion of the programme ofthe north colonnade may be expected at theend of 2006.

LLeennaa LLaammbbrriinnoouu∞rchitect-Archaeologist of the Parthenon

Restoration Project, in charge of the northcolonnade programmme

TTeemmppllee ooff AAtthheennaa NNiikkee ssttuuddyy ffoorr tthhee rreesseettttiinngg ooff tthhee bblloocckkss ooff tthhee cceellllaa wwaallllss

TTrriimmmmiinngg aa ffiilllliinngg ooff nneeww mmaarrbbllee iinn aa ccoolluummnn ddrruumm ooff tthhee nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee.. PPhhoottoo LL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, 22000044

SSuurrvveeyy aanndd mmeeaassuurreemmeennttss ooff tthhee ddiiaammeetteerrss ooff tthhee uuppppeerrrreessttiinngg ssuurrffaaccee ooff aa ddrruumm ffrroomm tthhee nnoorrtthh ccoolloonnnnaaddee..SSuurrvveeyy bbyy CC.. PPaarraasscchhiiss,, AA.. PPaappaannddrrooppoouullooss,, CC.. MMaattaallaa,,mmeeaassuurreemmeennttss bbyy LL.. LLaammbbrriinnoouu,, SSeepptteemmbbeerr 22000033

AAtthheennaa NNiikkee TTeemmppllee.. SSeettttiinngg tthhee wwaallll ccoouurrsseess oonn tthhee bbaassiiss ooff tthhee ccaatteeggoorriieess ooff tthhee bblloocckkss.. SSttuuddyy aanndd ddrraawwiinngg bbyy KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaass,, 22000033

Giraud's study, have been added to themonument.iv. A fragment of an ancient wall block hasbeen filled in with new marble and placedin its correct position, which had beenoccupied wrongly by a block from the SWanta.

With the identification and inclusion of theabove blocks and fragments in the monu-ment, the number of purely new wall blockshas been reduced from 14 to 10.

Finally, the study of the positions of the wallblocks has revealed the original position ofthe locking blocks (kataphragai) on all threewalls of the monument.

KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaassArchitect of the temple of Athena Nike

Restoration Project

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The year 2004 was a year full of activity inconnection with informing the generalpublic and specialists alike about therestoration of the Acropolis monuments aswell as the education of the young on theart, architecture, history and restoration ofthe monuments.

EEdduuccaattiioonnaall AAccttiivviittiieessThe activities of the Department of Infor-mation and Education of the YSMAincluded educational programmes, such as“The Parthenon Frieze”, the special pro-gramme - dedicated to the Olympic Year2004 “The Panathenaia as seen throughthe Parthenon Frieze”, and the distributionof Museum kits (33 kits given to educa-tional organisations in Greece and abroadand kits lent to 155 schools), the supply-ing of educational material to 1980 peopleand 792 organisations, and the organisingof lectures for 965 educators and students.Of special interest were the lectures given invarious educational districts of Greece(Educational District of East Attica - Pal-lene Gymnasium, Educational District ofWest Attica - Cultural Centre of theMunicipality of Aigaleon, 3rd EducationalDistrict of the Region of Evros-Souphli), atthe Tellogleion Art Foundation in Thessa-lonike, at the European Centre of Delphi,and to French Professors of Greek in Mid-dle Schools.

The Head of the Department, the architect-archeologist Cornelia Hatziaslani, gave areport on the subject of “Teaching the Athen-ian Acropolis” at the 105th Yearly Meetingof the Archaeological Institute of America atSan Francisco in the United States. She alsopresented the educational programmes of theAcropolis at the J. Paul Getty Museum in LosAngeles. In December 2004 she spoke on thesubject “Ancient Culture in Modern Educa-tion. The Athenian Acropolis Case” at theInstitute of Classical Studies of London, at a

meeting organised in collaboration with theSociety for the Promotion of Hellenic Stud-ies and the Joint Association of ClassicalTeachers. All these lectures were accompa-nied by an exhibition of the educationalMuseum Kits. Finally, the Museum Kit“Ancient Greek Musical Instruments” wasincluded in the exhibition entitled «Comingof Age in Ancient Greece, Images of Child-hood from the Classical Past», which was heldat J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles fromSeptember to December 2004.

In May 2004, the 8th Meeting on “Educa-tors and Programmes about the Acropolis”was held with “The Panathenaia throughthe Parthenon Frieze” as special theme.Finally, new pamphlets have appeared dur-ing the past year: the educational game ofrecomposing “The Parthenon Frieze” andthe pamphlets “Acropolis and Education”

NNeewwss ffrroomm tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

AAtthheennaa NNiikkee TTeemmppllee wwiitthh tthhee oorrtthhoossttaattee ccoouurrssee rreessttoorreedd.. PPhhoottoo KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaass,, JJuunnee 22000055

TThhee ppaammpphhlleett ““AAccrrooppoolliiss aanndd EEdduuccaattiioonn””

TThhee ppaammpphhlleett ““EEdduuccaattiioonnaall MMuusseeuumm KKiittss ffrroommtthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss””

TThhee pphhoottooggrraapphhiicc eexxhhiibbiittiioonn ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss RReessttoorraattiioonn WWoorrkkss bbyy SS.. MMaavvrroommmmaattiiss hheelldd iinn tthhee MMuusseeuummooff FFoollkk AArrtt aatt KKyymmee iinn EEuubbooiiaa

AAtthheennaa NNiikkee TTeemmppllee.. PPrrooppoossaall ffoorr rreessttoorraattiioonn ooff tthhee wwaallllss,, sshhoowwiinngg tthhee bblloocckkss mmoovveedd ttoo nneeww ppoossiittiioonnssaanndd tthhee ffrraaggmmeennttss tthhaatt hhaavvee bbeeeenn rreesseett.. SSttuuddyy aanndd ddrraawwiinngg bbyy KK.. MMaammaalloouunnggaass,, 22000033

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and “Educational Museum Kits from theAcropolis”.

PPhhoottooggrraapphhiicc eexxhhiibbiittiioonnssThe photographic exhibition by the Headof the Photographic Laboratory of theYSMA, Sokrates Mavrommatis, of the ana-

steloses of the Acropolis Monuments con-tinued to travel during 2004 to variousparts of Greece and abroad. To begin with,the exhibition at the so-called Mercati Tra-ianei in Rome was continued until thebeginning of March. It was then shown atthe Museum of Folk Art in Kyme, Euboia(from 31 July to 29 August 2004). FromSeptember 2004 to the end of 2005 it isbeing exhibited at the University of Fair-field in the United States. On the occasionof the opening of this exhibition at Fairfieldin September, Mr. Mavrommatis gave alecture on the photographic documentationof the works on the Acropolis. Likewise in2004, two special photographic exhibitionsby S. Mavrommatis were held: last July theexhibition “The cleaning of the west friezeof the Parthenon” was shown in GalleryVIII of the Acropolis Museum (the exhi-bition is continuing at present), and inDecember the exhibition “The ParthenonFrieze” was shown at the Benaki Museum

with the photographs that illustrate thebook with the same title by Angelos Deliv-orrias, Melissa editions.

NNeeww FFiillmmssTwo new films were made by S. Mavrom-matis in 2004: one film, 7 minutes long on

the subject of “The Parthenon West Frieze,Conservation and Cleaning, 2003-2004”,and another, 14 minutes long on “TheWorks of Anastelosis of the Acropolis Mon-uments, 2003-2004”.

PPrreesseennttaattiioonn ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss RReessttoorraattiioonnPPrroojjeeccttss aatt tthhee PPaaeessttuumm ((PPoosseeiiddoonniiaa)) SSyymm--ppoossiiuummA symposium was held at Paestum in Italyfrom the 26th to the 27th of June 2004 onthe subject of the conservation works onthe temples there, which have recentlybeen completed. The symposium wasorganised by the Ephorate of Antiquitiesof Paestum and Salerno, and a group ofscholars from the YSMA were invited topresent the Acropolis projects. The Direc-tor of YSMA, the civil engineer MariaIoannidou, presented the overall pro-gramme of restoration of the Acropolisand the architect Tasos Tanoulas, Head ofthe work on the Propylaia, gave a talk on

the course of the restoration of the monu-ment. The architect of the Propylaia pro-ject, Konstantinos Karanasos, spoke aboutthe methods of filling in the ancient archi-tectural members of the Acropolis monu-ments with new marble. The work of con-servation and cleaning of the Parthenon

west frieze was reported on by EviPapakonstantinou, chemical engineer andHead of the Conservation Department. Atthe final round-table conference of thesymposium, the Head of the Documenta-tion Office of the YSMA, Fani Mallou-chou-Tufano, archaeologist, gave a talk onthe management of archaeological sites andmonuments in Greece during the last thirtyyears following the political hand over of1975.

LLeeccttuurreess oonn tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss WWoorrkkssMany members of the scholarly staff of theYSMA gave lectures in Greece and abroadabout general or specific topics of theAcropolis restoration works. At a specialevent held at the Zappeion, M. Ioannidouspoke on the Acropolis works to the for-eign correspondents during the OlympicGames in Athens. Last December she alsogave a talk on the Acropolis restoration atthe Instituto del Patrimonio Historico

Espanol of the Ministry of Culture ofSpain. The special project of cleaning andconserving the Parthenon west frieze wasthe subject of her lecture in Spain at theInstituto de Fisica-Quimica Rocasolano ofthe Conseijo Superior de InvestigationesCientificas. In October she took part inthe Yearly Meeting of the InternationalScientific Committee on the Analysis andStructural Restoration of ArchitecturalHeritage –ISCARSAH– of ICOMOS,that was held in Athens. She commentedon the text of the relevant “Recommenda-tions”, in the light of her long experiencewith the restoration of the Acropolis mon-uments. At a brilliant event organised last Novem-ber by the Hellenic Society at King’s Col-lege, London, T. Tanoulas presented thehistory and anastelosis of the Propylaia. E.Papakonstantinou together with the YSMAconservators K. Frantzikinaki, A. Panou,K. Vasileiadis and the specialists from theInstitute of Research and Technology, P.Pouli, Th. Ditsa, V. Zafiropulos and K.Photakis, gave a lecture on “The Cleaningof the Parthenon West Frieze: An Innov-ative Laser Methodology” at the 6th Inter-national Symposium on the Erosion andProtection of Stone in the Monuments,that was held from the 28th of June to the3rd of July, 2004 in Stockholm. A report on “Dowel Action of TitaniumBars connecting Marble Fragments at Dif-ferent Angles” was presented at the 13thInternational Brick and Block MasonryConference by Dr. Eleni-Eva Toumbakari,structural engineer of the Parthenon pro-ject, together with Eleni Vintzelaiou, Asso-ciate Professor at the National TechnicalUniversity, held from the 4th to the 7th ofJuly 2004 in Amsterdam. Spyros Oikono-mopoulos, mechanical-electrical engineerin charge of the electro-mechanical sup-port of the Acropolis works, gave a lectureat the University of Patras last May on theelectro-mechanical equipment of theAcropolis work-sites. Finally, last May, F.Mallouchou-Tufano gave courses on theAcropolis works at the Universities ofFlorence and Perugia and last October atthe University III of Rome. She also tookpart, with a report on the Acropolis resto-ration, in a day-long conference on the

management of archaeological sites andmonuments organised in June 2004 by theArchaeology Department of the Faculty ofLetters of the University of Naples.

EEvveennttssA special event on the occasion of the

Olympic Games was held on the 11th ofAugust at the Zappeion Megaron. Theworks of the YSMA, of the AcropolisEphorate, of the Organisation for the Con-struction of the New Acropolis Museumand the efforts being made for the Restitu-tion of the Parthenon Sculpture (Elgin

TThhee pphhoottooggrraapphhiicc eexxhhiibbiittiioonn ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss RReessttoorraattiioonn WWoorrkkss bbyy SS.. MMaavvrroommmmaattiiss hheelldd aatt FFaaiirrffiieelldd UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, UUSSAA TThhee ffiirrsstt vviissiittoorrss wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss.. BBeehhiinndd tthheemm aarree tthhee DDeeppuuttyy MMiinniisstteerr ooff CCuullttuurree,, MMrr.. PP..TTaattoouulliiss aanndd tthhee SSeeccrreettaarryy GGeenneerraall ooff tthhee MMiinniissttrryy,, MMrr.. CC.. ZZaacchhooppoouullooss,, 1122 AAuugguusstt 22000044

AA.. CChhoorreemmiiss,, DDiirreeccttoorr ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss EEpphhoorraattee,, gguuiiddiinngg tthhee ffiirrsstt vviissiittoorrss wwiitthh ssppeecciiaall nneeeeddss ttoo tthheeMMuusseeuumm iinn tthhee pprreesseennccee ooff tthhee DDeeppuuttyy MMiinniisstteerr ooff CCuullttuurree,, MMrr.. PP.. TTaattoouulliiss,, tthhee SSeeccrreettaarryy GGeenneerraall,, MMrr..CC.. ZZaacchhooppoouullooss aanndd tthhee DDiirreeccttoorr ooff YYSSMMAA,, MMrrss.. MM.. IIooaannnniiddoouu,, 1122 AAuugguusstt 22000044

“...never have I been disappointed by theGreek marble workers who have taught meso much. Some were true archaeologists orreal artists. All were devoted to their workand we became friends...” These are thewords of the Academician Jean Marcadé inhis talk on the 28th of May, this year, tothe Association of the Friends of the Acro-polis.

I shall not refer to the experiences of otherarchaeologists in their work with conserva-tors and marble technicians in museums,excavations and anasteloses. I shall recallonly two who, for me, were unforgetableteachers, Christos Chatziliou at the NationalMuseum and Yiannis Tsephlikos in Epeirosat the various monuments. I shall also talkabout the marble technicians who workedat the Acropolis from 1975 on, when theworks for restoring the monuments began.

In the beginning the Committee for Conser-vation of the Acropolis Monuments invitedthose with experience from working on var-ious monuments, such as the Odeion ofHerodes Attikos, the temples of Aphaia andat Sounion, the Stoa of Attalos: Nikos andMarkos Skaris, Yiorgos Vidos, Stavros Vou-douris, Alexandros Nikolouzos... Theseexperienced marble technicians initiated theworks on the Erechtheion under the direc-

tion of responsible engineers and on the basisof approved studies. In the shed that servedfor years as the work-site of the Erechtheion,the collaboration of the engineers with thetechnicians was direct and we archaeologiststoo learned something about the mysteries oftheir work, when we escaped our office...

Some of the older marble technicians beforeretiring managed to work on the Parthenon

as well, when the works began there in1986. The younger ones, when the work ofthe Erechtheion was finished, went to vari-ous work-sites of the Acropolis and mostcontinue still, as master technicians now, tooffer their invaluable services.

After 2000, when the YSMA was establishedand the works on the Acropolis expanded,there was the possibility of hiring young mar-ble technicians. Most were graduates of theTenos Technical School. Initially we wereafraid they might not meet the standards ofthe older technicians. Fortunately we wereproved wrong. Among the qualificationsobtainable at the School –knowledge of mar-ble and how to work it, but also generalknowledge of the art and architecture of themonuments– there is always skill, artisticsensitivity, and especially a feeling for themonuments.

A decade after the departure of the first, asecond group of marble technicians was toretire. In 1999, the Association of the Friendsof the Acropolis organized a celebration intheir honour. Present were Kosmas Theo-tikos, Head of the Propylaia team, TzortzisSkalkotos, Demetris Mesolongis, TzortzisKoukoulas, Alekos Sikalos and YiannisArbilias, Head of the Parthenon team, andlater honoured also with the great prize ofEuropa Nostra.

In the meantime, two more marble techni-cians had retired: in 2001 Tzortzis Paparidisand in 2003 Iosiph Armaos. We shall hon-our them together with those who will retireat the end of 2005: Stelios Kaphouros, Headof the Parthenon work-site, and FrancescoAlexopoulos, Head of the restoration team ofthe opisthonaos project of the great temple.

In 2004 the Association of the Friends of theAcropolis honoured Vasilis Anastasias, whohas not yet reached retirement age. We alwayssee him working on the monuments of thesouth slope of the Acropolis, somehowpleased that his work has been recognized.

EEvvii TToouulloouuppaaEphor Emerita of the Acropolis

Member of the ESMA

CCaarrvviinngg tthhee nneeww IIoonniicc ccoolluummnnss ooff tthhee wweesstt hhaallll ooff tthhee cceennttrraall bbuuiillddiinngg ooff tthhee PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa..PPhhoottoo TT.. TTaannoouullaass,, 22000055

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Marbles) were presented. On the follow-ing day, 12 August, the lift on the northslope of the Acropolis for people with spe-cial needs was inaugurated by the DeputyMinister of Culture, Mr. P. Tatoulis. Pre-sent also was the General Secretary of theMinistry of Culture, C. Zachopoulos.The most splendid event of last year, how-

ever, was held on the 27th of July at theAcropolis on the occasion of the comple-tion (ahead of schedule) of four of the par-tial programmes of the YSMA: the struc-tural reconstruction of the ParthenonPronaos and opisthonaos, the conservationand cleaning of the Parthenon west friezeand the reconstruction of the north wall ofthe Propylaia. The event was held in thepresence of the President of the Democ-racy, Konstantinos Stephanopoulos and theAlternate Minister of Culture, Fani Palli-Petralia, who were guided around the mon-uments and the Acropolis Museum by theDirectors of the YSMA and the First Ephor-ate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities,Mrs. M. Ioannidou and Mrs. A. Choremis,respectively, the President of the ESMA

Mr. Ch. Bouras and by the Heads of thevarious departments and offices of theYSMA. Finally, on the evening of the 12th ofAugust, 2004, the ceremony of lighting theOlympic Flame was held in front of thewest façade of the Parthenon in the presenceof many dignitaries and people. Withoutthe scaffolding, removed with the recentcompletion of the restoration of the

opisthonaos, the west end of the Parthenonliterally shone in serene splendour, heraldingthe future appearance of the Acropolis mon-uments when their –necessary– anastelosiswill have been finished.

FFaannii MMaalllloouucchhoouu--TTuuffaannooArchaeologist PhD., Head of the YSMA

Documentation Office

TThhee PPrreessiiddeenntt ooff tthhee DDeemmooccrraaccyy,, MMrr KK.. SStteepphhaannooppoouullooss aanndd tthhee AAlltteerrnnaattee MMiinniisstteerr ooff CCuullttuurree,, MMrrss.. FF.. PPaallllii--PPeettrraalliiaa,, bbeeiinngg gguuiiddeedd aatt tthhee AAtthheennaa NNiikkee TTeemmppllee rreessttoorraattiioonn ssiittee bbyy tthhee ssttrruuccttuurraall eennggiinneeeerr iinn cchhaarrggee,, DD..MMiicchhaallooppoouulloouu,, 2277 JJuullyy 22000044

TThhee PPrreessiiddeenntt ooff tthhee DDeemmooccrraaccyy,, MMrr KK.. SStteepphhaannooppoouullooss aanndd tthhee AAlltteerrnnaattee MMiinniisstteerr ooff CCuullttuurree,, MMrrss.. FF.. PPaallllii--PPeettrraalliiaa,, bbeeiinngg gguuiiddeedd aatt tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn rreessttoorraattiioonn ssiittee bbyy tthhee aarrcchhiitteecctt iinn cchhaarrggee,, NN.. TTooggaanniiddiiss,, 2277 JJuullyy 22000044

FFiilllliinngg iinn tthhee cceeiilliinngg bbeeaammss ooff tthhee PPrrooppyyllaaiiaa wwiitthh nneewwmmaarrbbllee.. PPhhoottoo KK.. KKaarraannaassooss,, 22000044

PPrreesseennttaattiioonn ooff tthhee RReessttoorraattiioonn wwoorrkk ooff tthhee PPrrooppyyllaaiiaabbyy tthhee eennggiinneeeerrss iinn cchhaarrggee,, MMrr.. TTaassooss TTaannoouullaass aannddMMrrss.. MMaarriiaa IIooaannnniiddoouu,, 2277 JJuullyy 22000044

TThhee PPrreessiiddeenntt ooff EESSMMAA eexxppllaaiinnss ttoo tthhee PPrreessiiddeennttooff tthhee DDeemmooccrraaccyy tthhee tteecchhnniiqquuee ooff aaddddiinngg ffiilllliinnggssttoo tthhee aarrcchhiitteeccttuurraall mmeemmbbeerrss,, 2277 JJuullyy 22000044

OOnn tthhee mmaarrbbllee tteecchhnniicciiaannss ooff tthhee AAccrrooppoolliiss

News Letter of The Acropolis Restora-tion Service of the Hellenic Ministry ofCulture

Editor:Professor Emeritus Ch. Bouras

Editing and Production:.F. Mallouchou-Tufano, Ph.D.

Layout:O. Simeoforidou

Photographic Supervision:S. Mavrommatis

English Translation:M. Caskey, Ph.D.

The restoration and conservation worksof the Acropolis Monuments as well asthe present issue are jointly financed bythe European Union.

Community Support Framework2000-2006Operational Programme “CULTURE”Community Contribution: 75%National Contribution: 25%

Managing Authority for OperationalProgramme “CULTURE”

The Acropolis Restoration Service10, Polygnotou StreetGR-10 555 AthensTel/Fax: (30) 210-32-43-427/ 32-51-620e-mail: protocol@ysma.culture.gr

©YSMA, 2005

À ™ ª ∞

À ¶ ¶ √

CCeerreemmoonnyy ooff tthhee lliigghhttiinngg ooff tthhee OOllyymmppiicc FFllaammee iinn ffrroonntt ooff tthhee wweesstt ffaaççaaddee ooff tthhee PPaarrtthheennoonn 1122 AAuugguusstt 22000044