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Acropolis – Parthenon- New Acropolis Museum
E-MAGAZINO

Acropolis, like a jewel, is placed at the highest point. High walls used to surround it. The city’s eternal symbol, the Parthenon, is a sheer architectural miracle! 15,000 laborers worked hard for 15 years to complete it. They carried tons of marble from Mt Penteli, unloaded Libyan gold, Egyptian ivory and Lebanese cedar from the ships or chiseled the holy stones into life…

The Parthenon remained untouched for centuries. The Romans respected it; the Christians converted it into a church in 500 A.C. and in 1456 the Turks turned it into a mosque. The 15m tall statue of Athena made of ivory and gold was broken down into pieces – the gold it was made of weighed at least 1 ton.

On 26th September 1687, a Venetian canon shot hit the Parthenon which the Turks used as a gunpowder warehouse.

Years later the Turkish authorities permitted Elgin, the English ambassador in Athens to remove sculptures from the Parthenon. During removal several of Pheidias’ masterpieces were broken. The best pieces were shipped to England and were named the “Elgin marbles”. Today they are displayed at the British Museum. The Greek people and many friends around the world demand their return back home.

The remaining marbles are displayed at the new Acropolis Museum (www.theacropolismuseum.gr). The empty spaces between them await the return of the stolen sculptures where they belong…