First scaffolding up for Olympeion’s restoration

The Athens Ephorate of Antiquities (EFA) has embarked on one of its greatest challenges, tackling the restoration of the 6th century BC Temple of Olympian Zeus, one of the great monuments of the ancient world. “It is a project fraught with difficulties and problems,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said Thursday during a visit to the site, where scaffolding has been placed around the first of 16 surviving columns out of the 107 that once stood there. The restoration project is expected to cost around 3.4 million euros and to stretch into 2023, as many architectural elements will be removed, sent for conservation and then replaced. Located on flat land, as opposed to the Parthenon perched atop the Acropolis, the Olympeion was stripped of most its stones through the centuries by builders looking for ready material. [InTime News]