Acropolis of Athens · The Things That Were Taken Away

The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens was used as a powder magazine two hundred years ago, and a Venetian shell set it off. Part of its sculpture was afterwards taken away by the British and is still shown in the British Museum in London.

Greece has been asking for its return since the nineteenth century. The temple’s columns are held up with steel scaffolding, and the missing parts have not been put back.

In the museum a space has been left empty, marked with where the original belongs. People stop there for a moment.

Historical Mysteries / Athens · Greece / 447 BC