The colours used in the figures that decorate the Parthenon‘s west frieze have been digitally restored to celebrate the fifth birthday of the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

The copper weapons, bridles and flowing blue capes of the procession bring the marble slabs to life for visitors to the museum, where they are housed having been removed from the temple.

The work on the digital restoration of the frieze and other ancient sculptures is part of a new permanent installation.

The 3D images are created by using a scan of the original frieze. They are then projected onto the floor in front of the corresponding marble section for visitors.

The installation is found on the third floor and marks the museum's latest efforts to use innovative digital techniques in its exhibits.

The museum received high praise when it opened its doors in 2009, and is found on the southeastern slope of Acropolis Hill, 280m from the Parthenon, which was dedicated to the goddess Athena.

It has displays on artefacts and findings dating from the Greek Bronze Age, Roman and Byzantine eras.

“New technologies are increasingly finding their place in the museum and now offer essential tools to aid the understanding of the great exhibits," said Dimitrios Pandermalis of the Acropolis Museum. "We comfortably welcome 3,000 visitors a day and we are proud to have been recognized as being amongst the three best museums in the world.”

Over the last few years, the museum has been using laser technology to clean the sculptures of three female column-like figures, known as caryatids, a process that visitors can observe. It was awarded a Keck Award for this conservation work in 2012.

The Acropolis, or “sacred rock”, is crowned by three temples dating from the fifth century BC. The obvious starting point for a first-time visit is the Parthenon, the largest and most impressive temple, supported by 46 Doric columns. It is considered classical architecture’s most influential building.

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