Restoring the Ruin
Carving new pieces
As in ancient times, the Parthenon
workplace today is less a construction site and more a sculptor's studio.
Master stonemasons do all carving by hand. Their expert skills are needed,
because sometimes the difference between a piece fitting perfectly and not
comes down to just a tenth of a millimeter, about the thickness of a human
hair. Amazingly, the ancient Greeks themselves achieved this level of
precision, in part by using highly sophisticated tools. Korres, by studying
tool marks in old marble, has reconstructed ancient chisels and other tools that he believes
were, in their day, sharper and more durable than similar tools today.