Monument to two great philhellenes used as coffee table

Nine years after the vandalism of the monument dedicated to 19th century French philhellenes General Charles Nicolas Fabvier and Francois Robert, who fought valiantly in the struggle for Greek independence, all that is left is its base, which is sometimes used as a coffee table for passers-by on the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian road ringing the Acropolis in Athens. Until early June 2015, before the vandals had their way, a marble, triangular column dedicated to the memory of these two beloved French philhellenes stood there.

The Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens told Kathimerini that the archaeological service has welded together the debris of the column, which is kept in the archaeological warehouse of Hadrian's Library.

However, the monument will not immediately return to its place. Its welded parts were used to create a cast, and when the proper...