Greece readies works for move

Many of Greece’s most valued ancient statues are wearing chains and padded vests, ready for a rare outing.

Culture Ministry officials demonstrated Thursday how more than 300 statues from the Acropolis are being packed for a move this fall to a new museum being built at the bottom of the hill.

Statues from the Parthenon and other temples, up to 2,600 years old and weighing up to 2 1/2 tons, are being fitted with padded harnesses and will be lowered by chains and pulleys into Styrofoam-filled boxes made of plywood and metal.

Once packed, they will be moved about 300 yards by crane from a cramped museum on the Acropolis to the new glass-and-concrete museum designed by U.S.-based architect Bernard Tschumi.