This photo shows a figure from the East pediment of the Parthenon, a naked youth labelled Theseus in catalogues of Haydon’s time; Haydon much admired the realism of the figure’s relaxed midriff. Sadly, damage is extensive. The Turks were most unsafe guardians of the temple of Athene, which they inherited from the Roman Empire in good condition. At first they had used it as a mosque, adding only a minaret; but later it served as a gunpowder store in their war with Venice, until the Venetians struck it in 1687 causing a catastrophic explosion. Some of the fallen stones were subsequently looted by the Venetians, others were appropriated by farmers (much as with Roman remains in England) or used for target practice.
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