Anastilosi. Un dibattito fondativo per il restauro dei monumenti antichi nell'Atene di fine Ottocento

The debate on the anastylosis, which is still alive nowadays, met fundamental points within the Athens Charter of Restoration of 1931 and the Venice Charter of Restoration of 1964. However, the earlier use of this term in connection to restoration is to be found in the late Nineteenth century. In this study the origin of the concept and the practice of anastylosis is contextualized within the discussions that arose on the restoration of the Parthenon of Athens between 1890 and 1905. The conflicts on the works to carry out on the ancient temple are connected to the conceptual ambiguities, the misinterpretations and the inconsistent uses of ‘restoration’, ‘reconstruction’ and ‘anastylosis’ within the international debate. The earlier equivocal understanding of these terms is explained in relation to their different understanding by scholars with diverse background and provenance in Europe.