The perfect present for mom and dad

The first guards of the Acropolis were hired in 1834. Until then, the monument was exposed to all kinds of looting. Each time an English or French frigate anchored in Piraeus, dozens of cadets climbed the Acropolis and mutilated the monuments, removing marble leaves and other decorations from the ancient temples to take them home to their parents as presents.

Creator: Martinus Rørbye (1835)
Source: Statens Museum for Kunst
Text source: Thanasis Yochalas and Tonia Kafetzaki, Athens: Tracing the city through history and literature, Athens, 2013.