KAS opts to keep medieval repairs of Acropolis' northern fortifications
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Greece's Central Archaeological Council (KAS) has opted to preserve both the survivng ancient fortifications on the north wall of the Athens Acropolis and the medieval-era repairs that were added to this during the 14th century, in a decision reached on Wednesday.
The issue was first discussed by the council last month, when a proposal to remove the medieval repairs and reconstruct the classical-era fortifications met with strong objections.
The disagreement was resolved by a decision that KAS archaeologists should examine the particular section of the wall themselves before reaching a decision. The visit to the Acropolis took place a few days earlier and a recommendation was made to preserve and restore both the older part of the wall built in the 5th century B.C. and the newer section built in the 14th century A.D.
A new, modified study will now be sent to the KAS, which has also requested a general plan for the walls that notes the location of embedded architectural elements. Some of these are derived from the Older Parthenon, a temple that was under construction when the Persians sacked Athens in 480 B.C.
According to the new head of the Acropolis Restoration Service Prof. Manolis Korres, who took over from the late Charalambos Bouras, the drafting of such a plan was already underway but its completion will require a lot of work and time. For this reason, KAS was informed that its use will not be a prerequisite for work on the monument.
