Engineers have discovered that part of a huge flat-topped rock on the 2,500 year-old ancient Parthenon is starting to crumble. The Central Archaeological Council found “instability over quite a wide area” after it examined an area where a boulder of considerable size had tumbled on January 3.

“A section of the boulder of large dimensions fell in a region where people were passing through from the southern slope towards the entrance of the Acropolis, that is located near the sloped passageway near the guard’s fort,” says Dimosthenis Svolopoulos, the chief of the Ancient Monuments Restoration Department.

Pipes from the old Acropolis Museum are blamed for some of the damage that requires work to shore up the southern slope of the hill, according to General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Lina Mendoni. She also said that a program for the conservation of the Acropolis has been studied for the last year and a half.

Researcher Dimitris Englezos outlined some fo the problem areas and measures that are being considered when speaking to the Central Archaeological Council. These include cleaning the slope and unhinging the insecure rock particles, grouting at select locations and the construction of passive anchors and drainage holes.

At the same meeting, Professor Manolis Korres raised the question of maintaining the authenticity of the sacred rock by ensuring that the ancient streets remain in tact as well as the retention of geological formations such as the “dry caves” found at an altitude of 127 meters.

An old but good video that pays homage to the history of the Parthenon, by Greek-French director Costa-Gavras:

The Times was one of a number of international newspapers that picked up on the story

How the iconic monument used to look in antiquity –