Archaeologists carrying out conservation work on Greece’s most prized monument have hit on a new extreme sport, one unlikely to feature in visitor tours anytime soon — rappeling down the walls of the Acropolis, the ancient citadel overlooking Athens.

Part of an operation to determine the condition of the walls — which are over 2,300 years old — the stunt teamed conservation experts with veteran mountaineers enlisted to place electrode sensors on the citadel’s southern side, a senior archaeologist said on Sunday.

Maria Ioannidou, the senior archeologist in charge of conservation work on the Acropolis, said the sensor readings would be used to compile a geological scan of the walls and detect any possible damage caused by centuries of soil erosion and water seepage.

“The original surface of the citadel was much higher; what we see today is the result of several excavations,” Ioannidou told AFP. “As a result, there is the possibility of water seeping into the walls. We are just inspecting the wall’s condition at this stage,” she added. (AFP)