NUNTII: Parthenon Restoration

According to the Toque:

Bob Vila, the celebrity home renovation guru, has taken over the restoration of the Parthenon, Greece's ancient wonder. Bob, with the help of several hundred American contractors (who go by one-syllable first names), plans to restore the 2,500-year-old structure to its original glory.

Bob Vila has some exciting plans to restore the Acropolis. Artist's concept inset.
 
Bob Vila has been using his home improvement savvy to help others since 1979, when he first appeared on the television series "This Old House," and has helped hundreds of American homeowners restore, rebuild, and renovate their homesteads.

"When the Greek government first approached me, I was hesitant," said Bob during an interview. "I was in the middle of helping a Connecticut couple finish building their backyard deck, and they couldn't decide whether to use a natural-look pressure-treated wood on the stairs, or if they should try a Seal-rite™ outdoor quality melamine. I was insisting that they use the melamine for its smoothness and durability, and stay away from the wood so they could keep within their budget."

Bob eventually agreed to take on the project when the Greeks showed him the extent of the Parthenon's state of disrepair.

"What really swayed me over to take on the 'Acro' was its historical value. You know, you just don't see Doric columns of this quality any more. Often they're done with a medium density fibre-board and then painted for weather-proofing. In cold-winter areas, like the Eastern seaboard, they only last for about five years before they have to be redone. Here, these pillars have lasted for over 250 years I believe. Now, that's something." [more]

I hear Debbie Travis is redoing the Villa of the Mysteries ... [can you tell it's a slow news day?]

2:52:14 PM    

BLOGWATCH: @ Nephelokokkygia

Nephelokokkygia has a handy list of things which are unique about Sallust's prose style. Handy to have around if you have to translate De coniuratione Catilinae ...

7:41:23 AM    

MAGAZINE: Trojan War and the Olympics

The May/June issue of Archaeology has come out and -- obviously hoping to generate hits based on the upcoming movie -- the fine folks at Archaeology have made available the full text of an article by Manfred Korman entitled "Was There a Trojan War?". They've even put in the sidebar stuff. As long as you're digging through the Archaeology site (snicker), you might also want to check out their Ancient Olympics Guide, which has a number of excellent articles by prominent scholars.

7:31:59 AM    

AWOTV: On TV Today

10.00 a.m.|DTC|Secrets of the Colosseum
Visit the ruins of this massive triumph of Roman building and
engineering for clues to its ingenious design. Built in a remarkably
short span of 10 years, the structure combined travertine stone,
iron, concrete, brick and lava rocks from nearby Vesuvius.

DTC = Discovery Times Channel

7:22:37 AM