Lab helps preserve cultural heritage

A sample from a Byzantine-era wall found at Thessaloniki's under-construction Venizelos metro station sits under the microscope at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Laboratory of Building Materials. Under the guidance of Maria Stefanidou, the department is making a big effort to document and preserve materials found in cultural monuments that are at growing risk from the weather extremes exacerbated by climate change. The team also develop substitute materials for restoration work, most recently at the Venizelos station, where Roman and Byzantine antiquities were discovered and will be displayed. [Alexandros Avramidis]