Greece’s Parthenon Just Reclaimed a Missing Piece of Its Ancient Silhouette
Greece’s Ministry of Culture announced on June 15 that the Acropolis Restoration Service (YSMA) has completed an eight-year restoration of the pediment atop the Parthenon’s western facade, removing exterior scaffolding and restoring a view not seen in roughly 220 years. Culture minister Lina Mendoni said the west pediment is now presented “in its fullest form,” calling the result historically significant for the Acropolis and world culture. The YSMA began work on the western pediment in 2017, addressing damage linked in part to earlier restorations led by architect Nikolaos Balanos between 1894 and 1938; the YSMA itself was established in 1975. Under a plan approved in 2008 and re-approved in 2020, two orthostat slabs—one combining ancient fragments with new Pentelic marble and one entirely new—were installed on March 3 and March 5, completing the intervention.
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This story was covered in Lost Masterpieces and a Market’s Identity Crisis