A lost metropolis of 4,000 years ago discovered in Syria

During a ceremony which took place on 10 January 1977 at the Acropolis in Athens. Mr Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow, Director-General of Unesco, launched an appeal for an international campaign to save the monuments of the historic Acropolis site which have seriously deteriorated in the past few years. We publish here the text of the appeal.

The Greek government has already taken important measures to help preserve the threatened buildings and statues. Castings have been made of the Caryatids, for instance, with a view to removing them to a national museum until a solution can be found for the problem of stone disease. In addition to damage from water and frost, from the rusting of metal construction frames, from erosion and from the consequences of intensive tourism, the Acropolis is now suffering from the terrible effects of atmospheric pollution on stone. The magnitude, complexity and urgency of the problem has led to the drawing up, at the request of the Greek authorities and in collaboration with them, of a plan of action to be carried out within the framework of an international campaign approved by the Unesco General Conference at its last session in Nairobi (Kenya) in October-November 1976. The goal is to preserve a great cultural heritage which, although essentially Greek, is nevertheless the concern of all mankind.

According to joint Greek-Unesco estimates the operation will cost $ 15 million and take between five and ten years to complete.

The Unesco Courier intends to devote a future issue to the history of the Acropolis and the problems posed by its preservation.

Read this issue. Download the PDF.