Evening star., 1961-08-27
NOTE ON NEW THREAT
Bombings an Old Story to the AcropoIis

discussed of late, most recently
in the course of Mrs. John F.
Kennedy'S spring visit, saved them
from further damage during the
years when the Greek Wars Of
Liberation ousted the Turks and
gave Greece once more control of
her destinieS. There were two
hard sieges of the Acropolis by
Greek patriots in 1921, prior to the
first Turkish surrender of the
rock; and a return engagement
five years later when the Acrop-
oils was for months defended
against Reshid PaSha only to fall
in May, 1927. During this period,
and until the Turks finally evac-
uated the height in April 1888
after Greek kingdom had been
established under the convention
of London, all three of the great
buildings on the Acropolis suf-
fered from bombardmentS that
dropped some 500 bombs within
the area.
Once the Greeks were in con-
troll, however, the buildings were
properly appreciated and modern
archaeology took over. Generations
of patient specialists have ana
lyzed these magnificent ruins, re-
assembled fallen columns, carried
through the minimum of restor-
alton necessary to maintenance of
structure. The Temple of Athena
Nike, outside and to one side of
the Propylaia, has been put back
in place; the colonnades Of the
Parthenon, on which work was
finished only in 1880 work is
still in process on other parts of
the Structure) have since then
presented the unbroken lines last
recorded by Western European
visitors in the 1670s.
Today, the Acropolis Museum
shelters from weather damage
many figures both from the
Acropolis as it was before the age
of Pericles in the time of the older
temples and from the buildings
that are there today. The relief
of Nike untying her sandal is one
of the most beautiful of the
latter; among pieces from the
Parthenon are slabs showing eld-
erS, group of girls with the pro-
ceSSion'S masters of ceremonies,
young men carrying vases, Sacri-
ficial animals.
Horsemen on the Frieze
Nowhere, however, is there a
more beautiful part of the frieze
than the line of youthful horse
men, mounted without stirrupS or.
saddles and with bitless brides.
moving at a smooth gallop, which
is still on the Parthenon in its
original place.
Even in our own day, the
Acropolis has known conquerors.
On April 27, 1941, Hitler's forces
occupied Athens, and remained
until october 13, 1914. In the city
itself there was no fighting-the
grim last act of the 54-day con- q
quest known as Operation Martha
took place on the island of Crete
on the same day of the year-May
29-in 1941 as ConStantinople fell
to the Turks in 1883. Fighting in
the city did take place in 1944-45
in the months after the German
departure when Greek Communist
forces contended with Greek and
British troops.
So the Acropolis, through the
ages, has suffered damage and
been exposed to risk many times.
But the sacking that took place
as the grip of the Roman Empire
loosened, and even the more seri-
GUS damage from the Venetian
forces when gunpowder was new,
are far different from what would
be the impact of rockets of the
electronic era. 1t is, as Prime
Minister Caramanlis said. now
within Khrushchev's capabilities
utterly to obliterate one of the
worlds masterpieces of architec-
ture; but not to obliterate the
value that these buildings SYM
bolize.