ChicagoBeerGuyMark t1_je5faid wrote on March 29, 2023 at 3:24 PM

Reply to comment by chton in eli5 why ancient historical buildings haven’t been kept up? Why are buildings like the Parthenon and the Colosseum in such disrepair? Greece and Rome/Italy have existed the entire time? by PickledSpace56

Much of the restoration would be to preserve things as they exist now, and to keep them from decaying further and falling in on tourists.

chton t1_je94fzf wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:23 AM

Not just that, they also rebuild parts that have fallen over or broken, even if it wasn't broken in our lifetimes. If they can clearly identify where a certain part belongs, they will put it back there.

So it's not just preservation, there is actual reconstruction going on too.