After Mass Grave of Skeletons Found, Some Won’t Set Foot in This Starchitect’s Library
In April 2016, excavations in southern Athens uncovered a mass grave containing the skeletons of 80 people who were likely tortured to death in the seventh century B.C. The skeletons, which archaeologists believe to be the remains of political rebels who launched an attempted coup to take over Athens in 632 B.C., were lined up one after the other, some in chains. Tortured remains of seventh-century B.C. rebels found in a mass grave would be interesting but not remarkable here in Athens, a city where the ancient past is never far away.
Except the grave of tormented souls was found during excavations for the city’s slick new modern library designed by starchitect Renzo Piano, and to this day there are still people who swear it is cursed and vow never to visit.
Which is a shame, because the new Greek National Library is the kind of progressive, forward-thinking architecture Athens has been crying out for, and has already become a symbol of hope and revival for the city.