The restoration of classical monuments in modern Greece: historic precedents, modern trends, peculiarities

Abstract

The history of restoration of monuments in Greece is divisible into three periods: the first extends from the creation of the Greek State in the 1830s until the 2nd World War, the second corresponds to the post-war years until the military dictatorship in 1967, and the third covers the period from the restoration of democracy in 1974 to today. The article presents the main characteristics of the three periods, their prevailing ideological trends and psychological attitudes, and restoration practice in terms of the procedures, methods, materials, and techniques that have been developed. Particular attention is dedicated to the definition of the term 'anastelosis' (known internationally under the erroneous spelling 'anastylosis') and to the scientific presuppositions that underlie this specific intervention. Finally, the article reviews the peculiarities of an anastelosis intervention when applied to the particular architectural and structural type of monuments of the Greek classical period.