“The Caryatids, a clique of statuesque ladies that once supported the roof of the Acropolis’s Erechtheion, stand more beautiful than ever after a three-year makeover,” states an article written by Rachel Howard, which appeared in the November 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
The piece praises the beautiful and imposing statues that were restored with technology developed by the Acropolis Museum. The conservation work took place in situ and involved the use of infrared and ultraviolet lasers that cleaned the marble without damaging the intricate details.
The article also mentions that the visitors of Acropolis museum have now the opportunity to see how the Parthenon frieze originally looked, via digital reconstructions based on 3-D scanning and also enjoy breakfast with a Greek flair at the museum’s cafe.
Rachel Howard concludes her article with the following phrase which strikes a chord with every Greek: “Legend holds that after British ambassador Lord Elgin carted off a caryatid, the other five could be heard lamenting their lost sister.”