It all began when a Turkish defector was brought before Otto von Königsmarck, the commander of troops of the Republic of Venice. The brave general heard the spy out and gave the order to charge the cannons and take aim. The subsequent cannon volley ranked the Swedish general with Herostratus and Nero. All it takes is to mention the target – the Athenian Parthenon. The Venetians’ volley finished what neither the time nor the long line of conquerors, who each turned the antique masterpiece into a church or a mosque, failed to finish. However, perhaps we are being unfair to the Venetians and their Swedish commander and the laurels of Herostratus really should be awarded to the Turks, who occupied Athens for over two centuries and used the Parthenon to store their gun powder. À la guerre comme à la guerre.