Photo-Seeking Tourist Lifting Ancient Marble in Greece Sparks Outrage
An image of a tourist lifting a large piece of ancient marble to pose for a photo at a historic site in Greece has sparked backlash online.
The photograph, which has been widely circulated online, shows the man holding a large chunk of white marble above his head at the 2,500-year-old archaeological site of the Portara in Naxos, Greece.
The Portara, a towering marble gateway, is the only remaining part of an unfinished temple dedicated to Apollo, which was built around 530 B.C.
In the photo, the shirtless man is seen lifting a large, rectangular piece of marble above his head with both hands at the Portara. The slab of marble appears to have been picked up from the ancient structure. A woman, believed to be accompanying him, is seen taking photos of the man while he poses with the marble.
“They have crossed the line,” a Facebook user, who reportedly took the image, writes. “Wake up before it’s too late.”
According to local news outlet Naxos Times, Naxos Mayor Dimitris Lianos confirmed that Greece’s Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni had been notified about the incident. In response, a temporary guard has been placed at the site to prevent further incidents. Officials stressed that the Portara is not just a tourist attraction, but a global symbol of culture.
Selfie-Taking Tourists are Damaging Priceless Art
The image comes after a series of incidents this summer, which have seen tourists damage priceless artworks in a bid to take selfies with it. A tourist wrecked an irreplaceable oil painting in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, when he leaned in for a photo beside it, fell, and tore a huge hole in the canvas.
A #Firenze, un quadro del primo Settecento danneggiato da un turista, inciampato per una foto. È solo l'ultimo di una serie di incidenti nei musei. Il direttore degli #Uffizi annuncia nuove misure anti-selfie. #Tg1 Giovanna Savini pic.twitter.com/7gLGca5IpO
— Tg1 (@Tg1Rai) June 21, 2025
Meanwhile, CCTV footage captured a man sitting and squashing a “Van Gogh” chair in a Verona museum, causing significant damage. And last year, a man was accused of vandalizing a 6,000-year-old cave painting in southern Spain so it looked better for a Facebook photo.
Photo-seekers and selfie-hunters have previously been blamed for causing “untold damage” to priceless art in galleries across the world. Last year, specialist insurer Hiscox said that 50 percent of its art underwriting has been attributed to accidental damage — a large percentage of that was caused by people taking photos.
Image credits: All photos via Facebook/ Alexandros Frantzeskos.
