From the Sydney Morning Herald:
... in other Acropolish News ... from the News-Leader:
Some photos of the moving activities are up at Yahoo, but you have to poke around a bit ... there's also some sort of brouhaha brewing over plans to demolish some buildings to give folks a better view of the Acropolis ...
The usually busy Athens Acropolis will stand idle this weekend after the union of guards called a 48-hour strike to demand better working conditions for personnel.
The Greek union of keepers of archaeological sites, which called the July 14-15 action, wants temporary personnel to be given permanent positions.
The group also wants more flexible hours for its members, who have public servant status.
The union also announced it would hold another, four-day work stoppage at the Acropolis from 21-24 July.
The actions will not affect operations at other ancient sites and museums around the country.
The Parthenon and other temples atop the famed Athenian rock normally attract thousands of visitors a day in the summer months.
... in other Acropolish News ... from the News-Leader:
Many of Greece's most valued ancient statues are wearing chains and padded vests, ready for an outing.
Culture Ministry officials demonstrated Thursday how more than 300 statues from the Acropolis are being packed for a move to a new museum being built at the bottom of the hill.
Statues from the Parthenon and other temples, up to 2,600 years old and weighing up to 2.5 tons, are being fitted with padded harnesses and will be lowered by chains and pulleys into styrofoam-filled boxes made of plywood and metal.
Once packed, they will be moved about 300 yards by crane from a museum on the Acropolis to the new glass-and-concrete museum designed by U.S.-based architect Bernard Tschumi.
"This is an operation which requires great care ... We will work long hours and through holidays," supervising engineer Costas Zambas said.
Among items requiring special attention during the transfer are four Caryatids — stone columns sculpted in the shape of women — as well as older limestone artifacts created before marble became popularly used.
Some 165-foot shock-absorbing cranes will be used for the transfer that is due to last about six weeks and will cost an estimated $3.5 million.
The new Acropolis museum is due to open in early 2008, and will include exhibition space for the Parthenon Marbles collection which Greece is demanding be returned from the British Museum in London.
Some photos of the moving activities are up at Yahoo, but you have to poke around a bit ... there's also some sort of brouhaha brewing over plans to demolish some buildings to give folks a better view of the Acropolis ...