Interventions in Progress

The new work period funding from the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) includes an extensive programme on the Parthenon.

The most important work on the Parthenon is the intervention on the west side of the monument, which was restored by N. Balanos during the first period of anastelosis of the Parthenon (1898-1902). The purpose of the new intervention is a) to cope with the serious structural problems and deformations in that part of the monument that are due to the destructions of the past, to the previous anastelosis, and also to earthquakes that have struck the monument and b) the restoration of its appearance by including in the monument a number of architectural members made of new marble. The study for this intervention has been carried out by the architects V. Eleftheriou and V. Manidaki.

Included in the programme for 2011-2013 is intervention on the two corners of the west side, which includes, in accordance with the study, the dismantling of a total of 80 architectural members. Planned also for this same phase is the dismantling from the two corners of the monument of a total of 6 metopes and their transport to the Acropolis Museum for their protection. Accurate copies of artificial stone will replace them on the monument. Surface conservation will be carried out on all blocks to be dismantled and on all blocks lying on the ground.

In order to find out the extent of shifting that might have occurred in the corner columns and in the 4th column of the west side while lessening the load in the process of dismantling, a monitoring system was installed with optical fibre sensors.

Together with the work on the west side, work is proceeding on restoring the orthostates of the north wall of the cella. The programme of 2011-2013 calls for the restoration of 15 ancient blocks of the exterior course. They are to be reset in their definitive positions after their structural restoration. Only one block from the interior orthostate course has been identified. The others will be made of new marble for the positions where they are needed for supporting the overlying section of the wall, to be restored in the succeeding programme. The restoration of the latteral walls of the cella is based on the studies of N. Toaganides and K. Paraschi (south wall) and N. Toganides and K. Matala (north wall). The completion of this program will contribute to the recovery of the structure of the walls and the emergence of the architecture of the monument.    

Included also in the Parthenon works is completion of the carving of the flutes in the new marble supplements of six columns of the Parthenon north colonnade. This consists of  the final working of the surfaces of the new marble drums and it requires high specialisation and skill on the part of the marble sculptors.  

Finally, work is beginning on the restoration of the lintel of the cella west wall, which had been restored by N. Balanos. In this phase, the two interior beams, parts of which are preserved, will be restored and filled in with new marble.