ESMA gave priority to works concerning the erosion and stability of the rocks surrounding the Acropolis. In the period between 1979 and 1993 the rocks in the slopes were consolidated at 22 areas around the hill. These works included anchoring under pressure unstable rocks to the mass of the rock using clamps and heads of stainless steel. The existing cracks were sealed and the gaps on the rocks were filled with grout of specially designed mortar. Thus, in the middle of the 90s the major problems of the rock had been addressed. In the following years works of lesser scale were conducted on the rock including the consolidation of the rocks in the south of the Athena Nike temple and on the southeast slope.
At the beginning of 2014 a heavy downpour caused a small part from the southwest slope in the area of shale sedimentation to fall off. This fact, together with the worsening climatic conditions, necessitated not only the implementation of a new period of interventions in the areas of the rock but also the commencement of interventions in the wall. The work “The consolidation of rock masses and the Acropolis walls” covers the following:
- Regarding the documentation, observation and taking direct measures, the monitoring of the present state of the monuments with the use of instruments has been completed; the graphic background will be enriched by photogrammetric surveying and digital screenings, and a study for temporary measures for stabilising the wall and the rock will be prepared for every area.
- Regarding the sector of preparing studies, the geological study of 1976 will be revised, a geotechnical research, a hydrogeological research, a hydraulic study and a micro-zone study – supplementing the seismic data – will be conducted. Studies for the areas of the north and south wall and also a preliminary study on rainwater management and drainage will be prepared. The studies that will soon follow focus on the arrangement of the final level of the ground surface, and on geostatic studies in every area relevant to the rock and wall stabilization.
- Regarding the works sector, projects that involve consolidating the rocky slopes and restoring the wall will be carried out in every area starting with the ones needing the most immediate attention. The consolidation of the shale slopes in the SW incline has already been completed.
The beginning of the works on the walls and the rock increases the number of ESMA and YSMA’s activities. Despite the fact that the classical monuments, the walls and the Acropolis rock comprise a single monumental complex, fundamental differences in its structure impose a different methodological approach and treatment.
