New York Times published an article about Acropolis Museum and refers to the restoration of Caryatids which was completed recently.

The article starts by referring to the adventures of the six Caryatids which “For 2,500 years, stood unflinching atop the Acropolis, as the fires of war blazed around them, bullets nicked their robes, and bombs scarred their curvaceous bodies. When one of them was kidnapped in the 19th century, legend had it that the other five could be heard weeping in the night.”

As the article mentions for three and a half years, conservators at the Acropolis Museum have been cleaning the Caryatids which are believed to have been sculpted by Alkamenes, a student of ancient Greece’s greatest artist, Phidias.

Today, conservators have restored five out of six Caryatids using a specially developed laser technology, whereas the sixth sister is still at the British Museum.

Moreover, the article refers to the fact that Greek authorities are using the restoration project to press their case. “While the Caryatids’ restoration is not part of a specific campaign to get the marbles back, the fresh cleaning shows that the museum can support their return” said Dimitris Pantermalis, the president of the Acropolis Museum.

New York Times mentions also that Greeks and British have been fighting for many years over the return of Acropolis marbles and refers to George Clooney’s statements for the return of the marbles as well as to London’s mayor’s response.