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But the council is frequently split and this case was no exception. "Mr. Mantis has stated his position but the archaeological council has not ruled on the issue," said Maria Ioannidou, the archaeologist heading the Acropolis restoration project (YSMA). "A relevant study must be carried out and an international conference must be held on the issue to reach a decision," she said. The culture ministry's head of ancient monument restoration, Dimosthenis Giraud, also advised caution. "A detailed study of the issue is necessary," he said. Skeptics say that removing the Parthenon's last original sculptures would strike a jarring note with hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the monument every year. There is also debate over how the move will affect Greece's case with the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, the priceless friezes removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire which ruled Greece at the time. The British have long accused Greek authorities of taking poor care of the vulnerable monument that was exposed to decades of air pollution. Mantis insists that protecting the sculptures will strengthen Greece's case to have the Parthenon Marbles repatriated from London. "We must protect our heritage at all costs," he said. A total of 92 metopes once adorned the Parthenon's outer Doric frieze, the oldest sculptures on the temple dedicated to Athens' patron goddess Athena. Depicting scenes of battle between gods and giants, men facing centaurs and Amazons, and the Trojan War, most of them are now nearly unrecognisable. In addition to the changes wrought on the temple when it was turned into a church, it was badly damaged during a Venetian siege in 1687 when a cannon ball exploded in the Turkish powder magazine stored inside the Parthenon. Related Links: |
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