The year is 1821. Greeks are fighting for their independence. In
Athens, they besiege the Acropolis, a stronghold of the Turkish
occupiers. As the siege grinds on, the Turks' ammunition runs short.
They begin to dismantle sections of the Parthenon, prying out the
2,300-year-old lead clamps and melting them down for bullets. The Greek
fighters, horrified at this defacement of their patrimony, send the
Turks a supply of bullets. Better to arm their foes, they decide, than
to let the ancient temple come to harm.
-- Jeff Jacoby, (Globe Staff) "Return these exiles to Greece"
The Boston Globe (April 1, 1999, City Edition) OP-ED; Pg. A23