Greece's Acropolis in scaffolds as restoration resumes

Scaffolding once again appeared on the Acropolis in Athens Thursday as work resumed after a brief pause on a decades-long restoration project.

"New scaffolding has been constructed on the central part of the Propylaea to restore the original marble," said Mairi Ioannidou, the head of Acropolis Restoration Service.

The Propylaea is a vast, semi-ruined gateway that served as the gateway to the Acropolis, the 5th century BC citadel that towers over the Greek capital.

The new phase of the restoration, which is being partly funded by the European Union, is expected to last until 2013 and will include work to improve the site's earthquake resistance.

The Acropolis was free of scaffolding for two months, in a brief pause during a massive restoration project that has been going on for a quarter of a century.

The Greek government vowed in May to press ahead with the project, despite introducing deep budget cuts aimed at warding off financial collapse.