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Greece's Ancient Sites Get Climate-change Checkup

Rockslides are a concern at the ancient theatre of Delphi. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP/File
Rockslides are a concern at the ancient theatre of Delphi. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP/File
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Greece's Ancient Sites Get Climate-change Checkup

Rockslides are a concern at the ancient theatre of Delphi. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP/File
Rockslides are a concern at the ancient theatre of Delphi. Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP/File

Worsening wildfires, soaring heatwaves and rising water levels have prompted Greek officials to take a closer look at protecting priceless archaeological sites that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The monuments, scattered across the country, earn Greece millions of dollars in tourism revenue, said AFP.

But many of the sites are in rural areas and officials believe better planning is needed in case large crowds of tourists need to be evacuated in an emergency.

After a three-year study by some of the country's leading scientific institutions, the Greek culture ministry has earmarked 19 monuments that most urgently need protection against natural threats, with several more to be bolstered by 2030.

The ministry says it is the first time a nationwide evaluation of this scope has been attempted.

The sites under scrutiny include Olympia, habitually threatened by forest fires, the ancient theatre of Delphi, where rockslides are a concern, and the sanctuary of Dion which is prone to flooding.

Olympia Mayor Aristides Panagiotopoulos told AFP that protecting the birthplace of the Olympics, which houses the ancient stadium, a sprawling sanctuary and two museums, requires "constant vigilance".

"Our concern remains acute, as the area of Ancient Olympia is extensive, with a large expanse of greenery and dense, often unregulated, spontaneous vegetation," Panagiotopoulos said in an email.

"Despite the significant interventions that have been carried out, it is clear that they are not sufficient on their own to cover all needs."

In 2007, wildfires in Olympia decimated the natural environment around the archaeological site and left over 40 dead in the broader region of Elis.

Panagiotis Lattas, the head forester for the region of Elis, told AFP that more recently, major fires have broken out in the area in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

Lattas noted that significant rainfall this year generated additional vegetation that must be cleared in both urban and agricultural areas before wildfire season.

"This year, after a very large amount of rainfall-about 40 percent above the annual average-and with the hot and dry conditions expected during the dry season, vegetation will be particularly abundant," he said.

- Long-term plan -

Greece has already reduced visiting hours at its most popular archaeological site, the Acropolis in Athens, to shield visitors from heatwaves during the warmest hours of the day.

But the increasing frequency of extreme events calls for something more extensive.

From 2022 to 2025, scientists at the National University of Athens and the National Research Foundation examined past and present climate and geological conditions at the 19 sites, looking at prior damage to help determine future vulnerability to extreme events.

Exposure to fire, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels were studied by a team of climatologists, geologists, engineers, conservators, architects and building material experts.

In addition to Olympia, Delphi and Dion, they scrutinized Brauron near Athens, Philippi in the north, Mycenae, Messene, Mystras and the temple of Apollo Epicurius in the Peloponnese, Minoan palaces including Knossos in Crete, the ancient city of Rhodes, and Delos and the Heraion in Samos, which face coastal erosion.

The National Observatory of Athens and the capital's Demokritos research center also contributed research on weather, wildfires and building resilience to the project, which was budgeted at over 20 million euros ($23 million) in EU and national funding.

The plan is to cover a network of 40 sites by 2030, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni told a conference in Athens last month.

- 'Exposed' landscape -

"Our homeland has a uniquely high density and wide geographical distribution of outdoor monuments, inextricably tied to the landscape, which are exposed to fluctuations in temperature, increased humidity, heavy rainfall, and wind," Mendoni told the conference.

"Climate change does not necessarily create entirely new risks from scratch. It usually intensifies existing ones, increasing the frequency and severity of such phenomena."

According to the culture ministry, new fire sensors at 21 sites are to be delivered this year, and fire protection plans drawn up for over 60 archaeological sites, the ministry said.

According to official statistics, Ancient Olympia in 2024 drew over 300,000 visitors. Knossos had over a million, and Delphi over 290,000.

The mayor of Delphi, Panagiotis Tagalis, told AFP that rockfalls on the Amfissa-Livadeia road in November 2024 caused "serious problems for access to the archaeological site and museum of Delphi, as well as for the residents, employees, businesses, and visitors of the wider area".

The culture ministry installed wire mesh to the side of cliffs overlooking the archaeological site, and the municipality said it had cleared a nearby rural road as a backup emergency route for small vehicles.

"Twenty years ago it was absolutely forbidden to create firebreaks...in protected areas," Mendoni said.

"Fortunately, the mentality has changed."

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Culture

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Public Library Showcases Rare Andalusian Heritage Collection

The King Abdulaziz Public Library has worked to preserve Arab and Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, rare items, documents, photographs, and coins. (SPA)
The King Abdulaziz Public Library has worked to preserve Arab and Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, rare items, documents, photographs, and coins. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Public Library Showcases Rare Andalusian Heritage Collection

The King Abdulaziz Public Library has worked to preserve Arab and Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, rare items, documents, photographs, and coins. (SPA)
The King Abdulaziz Public Library has worked to preserve Arab and Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, rare items, documents, photographs, and coins. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Public Library has unveiled a rare collection of books and manuscripts on the history of Andalusia, highlighting the Arab-Islamic civilization Andalusia represented in Europe for more than eight centuries, from the conquest in 711 AD to the fall of Granada in 1492.

The library's Andalusian holdings span numerous subjects, including history, literature, poetry, agriculture, arts, culture, and biographies, and are written in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, German, and Latin, totaling 84 titles.

Rare Arabic books on Andalusia reached 13 titles, while rare foreign-language books totaled 71 titles.

Since its establishment in 1985, King Abdulaziz Public Library has worked to preserve Arab and Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, rare items, documents, photographs, and coins, providing a rich knowledge base for researchers worldwide.

Culture

Renoir Paintings Are Worth a Fortune, but Not When They’re Stolen

Painting of "Coco Reading" by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which was stolen from Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, but was later retrieved, September 8, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a page on the Renoir Museum's website. (Musée Renoir/Handout via Reuters)
Painting of "Coco Reading" by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which was stolen from Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, but was later retrieved, September 8, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a page on the Renoir Museum's website. (Musée Renoir/Handout via Reuters)
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Renoir Paintings Are Worth a Fortune, but Not When They’re Stolen

Painting of "Coco Reading" by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which was stolen from Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, but was later retrieved, September 8, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a page on the Renoir Museum's website. (Musée Renoir/Handout via Reuters)
Painting of "Coco Reading" by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which was stolen from Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, but was later retrieved, September 8, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a page on the Renoir Museum's website. (Musée Renoir/Handout via Reuters)

Two Renoir paintings stolen from a small French museum have yet to be recovered but if the thieves are hoping to cash in on the artwork, they would be hard-pressed to find a buyer.

Selling well-known, stolen art is impossible to do at an auction house or through other public channels without raising eyebrows. Even under the table, the value plummets. And unlike other eye-catching artifacts such as jewels, paintings can't be chopped up and sold for parts without losing their entire worth.

Art crime experts stress that most buyers simply don't want the liability. In short, the reality looks nothing like the movies.

“People always think that there is this kind of ‘Dr. No’ type from the James Bond movie," said Arthur Brand, a private art detective based in the Netherlands. "But that’s Hollywood. In the real world, there are no collectors like that.”

Brand, who has investigated art crime for about 20 years, explains that often “nobody will touch” stolen art, particularly high-profile work. Sometimes that means paintings valued at millions of dollars are effectively “worth zero” once they're outside of the museum, he added, if not a small fraction of the price.

Tuesday's theft at the Renoir Museum — the last home of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the French Riviera — marks the latest high-profile art crime targeting collections around the world, and experts warn there could be more.

Here's what we know.

Where the Renoirs could wind up

Cagnes-sur-Mer's mayor, Bryan Masson, said a group of “well-equipped” burglars stole a total of four Renoir paintings from the museum in his town on Tuesday. But they dropped two of them — Renoir’s “Portrait of Madame Pichon″ and “Coco Reading" — in the museum garden before they fled, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Police are still searching for the perpetrators. In the meantime, Renoir's “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well" remain missing.

Masson estimated the value of the combined Renoir works stolen Tuesday at 9 million euros ($10.5 million).

But the probability of profiting off such a heist is “extremely low,” said Erin Thompson, an art crime professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. In cases that end in arrests, the common takeaway is that “thieves are people who are good at stealing things and bad at thinking through the consequences,” she added.

Some may try to make money from heists in other ways, such as through demanding a ransom or looking for an insurance payout. But Thompson explains many museums don't have insurance because it's too costly. That's why the practice is so rare in the US, for example, and it would be difficult to negotiate with insurance companies elsewhere without the thieves incriminating themselves.

Painting of "Madame Colonna Romano" by French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which was stolen from Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, September 8, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a page on the Renoir Museum's website. (Musée Renoir/Handout via Reuters)

As a result, if not surrendered or otherwise recovered, stolen paintings may remain hidden or in some cases eventually destroyed to get rid of evidence, Thompson says.

Brand, who collaborates regularly with law enforcement in his art crime investigations, says that he's still seen limited cases of stolen paintings “floating around in the underworld” — perhaps as partial payments for products like drugs. And depending on country-by-country laws, he noted that the promise of returning the art has led to reduced sentences of other charges.

“Some more savvy criminal will acquire it as a get out of jail free card, sort of a bargaining chip,” added Christopher Marinello, a lawyer and founder of Art Recovery International. “So, if some drug dealer ever is arrested, he can bargain with the prosecutor and say, ‘Listen, give me a lesser sentence and I’ll show you where these Renoirs are.’ And that has always worked and it will work again.”

Paintings are harder to hide and sell than jewels

Stolen paintings are much more difficult to profit from than museums' other crown jewels — literally.

Jeweled and metal goods have increasingly become a target of theft because they can be melted down or broken down into parts. Last year, a handful of experts warned that could be the fate of the stunning heist of crown jewels at the Louvre Museum in Paris, for example, noting that, if done successfully, smaller pieces could later go up for sale as part of a new necklace, earrings or other jewelry without turning too many heads.

But of course, such pieces would lose their historical worth and, if actually sold, likely only go for a fraction of their original value. Experts also warn that it's far from a simple process overall and gems may still be identifiable by characteristics like clarity, for example.

Apart from an emerald-set imperial crown found outside the museum the day of the October 2025 heist, the stolen jewels remain unrecovered.

Paintings, in contrast, don't have the same commodity value that can potentially be parceled off. “It’s a canvas with some old oil paint on it,” said art theft expert James Ratcliffe, of the Art Loss Register. “You can’t touch it up. You can’t resell it other than for what it is.”

Uptick in art crime overall

Ratcliffe and others note that hasn't stopped thefts of famous paintings and other artwork from museums. Just earlier this year, three pieces by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions of euros were stolen in Italy, for example, before being recovered last month.

Ratcliffe notes that smaller museums, in particular, are harder to secure because they might not have the funding necessary to invest in the latest technology or are located in historic buildings that may take more time and effort to install new guardrails.

Still, pressures are piling up, with some warning that future cases of art theft could be likely as vulnerabilities persist.

“We need to change the way we treat small and country house museums before we lose to our cultural heritage permanently,” said Marinello, who stresses that stronger security and enforcement is overdue. “We’re supposed to be preserving our cultural heritage, not allowing criminals to take what they want and using them as shopping malls.”

Culture

Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)

Rome's Baths of Trajan, an ancient bathing and leisure complex featuring giant frescoes and mosaics, is opening to visitors for the first time, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.

Inaugurated in 109 AD, the baths were built by the most famous architect of the time -- Apollodorus of Damascus -- and covered an area of 60,000 square meters (646,000 square feet).

The remains are located on top of the Colle Oppio near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Visitors will be able to see a fresco entitled "The Painted City", depicting an unidentified city of the Roman Empire, as well as a large mosaic dubbed "The Muse and the Philosopher", whose colors are still vivid and whose figures are rendered with striking realism.

"These are the largest fresco and the largest mosaic of the Roman era ever discovered," mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters as he announced the site would open this weekend.

He called them "marvelous works that are truly unique in the world for their artistic beauty and their historical... significance".

The site also includes an exedra, a semicircular building whose precise purpose is unknown, which will in future host artistic and cultural events.

The area, which is still undergoing restoration, will initially open only at weekends for groups of no more than 15 people during September.