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After 220 years, the Western pediment of the Parthenon has been restored to its most complete form. The restoration uses marble extracted from the same mountain as the ancient original, Mt Pentelicus.

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After 220 years, the Western pediment of the Parthenon has been restored to its most complete form. The restoration uses marble extracted from the same mountain as the ancient original, Mt Pentelicus.

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For the first time in 200 years, the Parthenon’s exterior is completely free of scaffolding on all sides. It’s also the first time in 20 years that the western side has been scaffold-free. At least six generations have never seen the Parthenon unobstructed.

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For the first time in 200 years, the Parthenon’s exterior is completely free of scaffolding on all sides. It’s also the first time in 20 years that the western side has been scaffold-free. At least six generations have never seen the Parthenon unobstructed.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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A tourist has sparked outrage in Greece after being photographed lifting an ancient marble fragment at the Temple of Apollo, raising serious concerns about the site's preservation. The marble appears to have been a loose piece — meaning that by being moved, it was likely scratched.

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A tourist has sparked outrage in Greece after being photographed lifting an ancient marble fragment at the Temple of Apollo, raising serious concerns about the site's preservation. The marble appears to have been a loose piece — meaning that by being moved, it was likely scratched.

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The Queen of the Night relief, terracotta, Old Babylonian Empire, c. 1775 BC. Current state vs. colors restored according to experts at the British Museum after analysis of pigment traces. The relief is dimly lit from below, as it probably was originally ...

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The Queen of the Night relief, terracotta, Old Babylonian Empire, c. 1775 BC. Current state vs. colors restored according to experts at the British Museum after analysis of pigment traces. The relief is dimly lit from below, as it probably was originally ...

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The "Mask of Dresio". A Celtic iron age head from Ossola Valley, Northern Italy that was used as a fountain mask since possibly the Roman/Medieval era until recent years. It is now substituted with a replica on the fountain. Was originally either part of a statue or a sacred spring.

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The "Mask of Dresio". A Celtic iron age head from Ossola Valley, Northern Italy that was used as a fountain mask since possibly the Roman/Medieval era until recent years. It is now substituted with a replica on the fountain. Was originally either part of a statue or a sacred spring.

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A Roman marble head dated around 1st-2nd Century AD has been discovered by Greg Crawley, a construction worker driver while undertaking renovation works in Peterborough. Its bust was also discovered close to the site of the original find and were reassembled.

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A Roman marble head dated around 1st-2nd Century AD has been discovered by Greg Crawley, a construction worker driver while undertaking renovation works in Peterborough. Its bust was also discovered close to the site of the original find and were reassembled.

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The 24,000 years old remains of Mal'ta Boy, discovered in the 1920s in Siberia, Russia. The boy belonged to the population of Ancient North Eurasians, who were genetically intermediate between modern western Eurasians and Native Americans, but distant from east Asians

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The 24,000 years old remains of Mal'ta Boy, discovered in the 1920s in Siberia, Russia. The boy belonged to the population of Ancient North Eurasians, who were genetically intermediate between modern western Eurasians and Native Americans, but distant from east Asians

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The Herodium, Herod the Great’s fortress and one of the largest from the ancient world. He intentionally buried the whole mountain and converted it to a funerary complex upon his death

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The Herodium, Herod the Great’s fortress and one of the largest from the ancient world. He intentionally buried the whole mountain and converted it to a funerary complex upon his death

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The Yinan tombs, in China, are tombs from the late Eastern Han Dynasty period that display monumental architecture, and particularly corbelled roofs, a technique well known in ancient West Asia, which may have been the result of west–east transmission. 168-189 CE

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The Yinan tombs, in China, are tombs from the late Eastern Han Dynasty period that display monumental architecture, and particularly corbelled roofs, a technique well known in ancient West Asia, which may have been the result of west–east transmission. 168-189 CE

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Athena Parthenos Chiaramonti, colossal head of Athena, Rome, late 1st century CE. Found together with an arm and a foot, it was part of an acrolith statue believed to be a copy of an original from the circle of Phidias

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Athena Parthenos Chiaramonti, colossal head of Athena, Rome, late 1st century CE. Found together with an arm and a foot, it was part of an acrolith statue believed to be a copy of an original from the circle of Phidias

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The Vimose coat is a 22-pound piece of chain armor thrown into a Danish bog as a victory offering after battle some 1,800 years ago. Made by hand from nearly 20,000 tiny iron rings, it is the oldest completely preserved chain mail from Northern Europe

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The Vimose coat is a 22-pound piece of chain armor thrown into a Danish bog as a victory offering after battle some 1,800 years ago. Made by hand from nearly 20,000 tiny iron rings, it is the oldest completely preserved chain mail from Northern Europe

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Marble fragment with the head of Medea from a 1st or 2nd c AD Roman copy of a Greek original relief, thought to have been decoration from the parapet surrounding the Altar of the Twelve Gods in the Athenian Agora, ca. 420–410 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art collection

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Marble fragment with the head of Medea from a 1st or 2nd c AD Roman copy of a Greek original relief, thought to have been decoration from the parapet surrounding the Altar of the Twelve Gods in the Athenian Agora, ca. 420–410 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art collection

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Underground Roundel, London, UK, 1908. From its humble beginnings as a platform name board at the beginning of the 20th century and after many attempts to redesign it – or even get rid of it completely- the roundel now provides a unified identity for all London’s transport services.

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Underground Roundel, London, UK, 1908. From its humble beginnings as a platform name board at the beginning of the 20th century and after many attempts to redesign it – or even get rid of it completely- the roundel now provides a unified identity for all London’s transport services.

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When Yoshitaro Shibasaki and his team completed their 1907 ascent of Mount Tsurugi, thought to be the last unclimbed mountain in Japan, they found a metal cane decoration and a sword at the summit that were later determined to have been left there more than 1000 years earlier

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When Yoshitaro Shibasaki and his team completed their 1907 ascent of Mount Tsurugi, thought to be the last unclimbed mountain in Japan, they found a metal cane decoration and a sword at the summit that were later determined to have been left there more than 1000 years earlier

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Ikoku Ochiba Kago, 1854. Also known as Fallen Leaves from a Foreign Country. The rarest printed text regarding the Perry Expeditions and the opening of Japan to the international world, this one preserved in scroll format, printed a year after first contact. An exciting find.

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Ikoku Ochiba Kago, 1854. Also known as Fallen Leaves from a Foreign Country. The rarest printed text regarding the Perry Expeditions and the opening of Japan to the international world, this one preserved in scroll format, printed a year after first contact. An exciting find.

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A 2000-year-old Roman dagger before and after a 9-month restoration. The handle and scabbard are covered in silver and decorated with red enamel.

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A 2000-year-old Roman dagger before and after a 9-month restoration. The handle and scabbard are covered in silver and decorated with red enamel.

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An ancient sculpture showing a Greek strategist. The marble object was discovered in Herculaneum and is dated to the 1st century CE. It is probably a copy of a Greek original from the 5th century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

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An ancient sculpture showing a Greek strategist. The marble object was discovered in Herculaneum and is dated to the 1st century CE. It is probably a copy of a Greek original from the 5th century BCE. The artifact is in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

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The portrait on the left was owned by the Carnegie Museum who were ready to discard it as a fake. Closer examination revealed that someone in the 19th cent. did a bad "touch up" work on it to make it prettier and easier to sell. They were able to completely restore the original painting

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The portrait on the left was owned by the Carnegie Museum who were ready to discard it as a fake. Closer examination revealed that someone in the 19th cent. did a bad "touch up" work on it to make it prettier and easier to sell. They were able to completely restore the original painting

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Sealed inside a ceramic funerary pot for over 4,500 years, an Old Kingdom man has become the first ancient Egyptian to undergo whole genome analysis. The man had North African Neolithic ancestry, mixed with a 20% genetic contribution from the Eastern Fertile Crescent

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Sealed inside a ceramic funerary pot for over 4,500 years, an Old Kingdom man has become the first ancient Egyptian to undergo whole genome analysis. The man had North African Neolithic ancestry, mixed with a 20% genetic contribution from the Eastern Fertile Crescent

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