Replies

Parthenon was an "ammo storage dump" that took a mortar shell hit and blew off the roof!
(During the Morean War (1684-1699)
After these victories had cleared the Peloponnese of Turkish forces, Morosini decided to campaign in Central Greece, especially against the Ottoman strongholds of Thebes and Chalkis (Negropont). Thus, on 21 September 1687, Königsmarck's army, 10,750 men strong, landed at Eleusis, while the Venetian fleet entered Piraeus. The Turks quickly evacuated the town of Athens, but the garrison and much of the population withdrew to the ancient Acropolis. The Venetian army began now a siege of the Acropolis, which would last six days (September 23-29) and would cause much destruction to the ancient monuments. The Ottomans first demolished the temple of Athena Nike to erect a cannon battery, but the most important damage caused was the destruction of the Parthenon. The Turks used the temple for ammunition storage, and when, on the evening of on 26 September 1687, a mortar shell hit the building, the resulting explosion led to the complete destruction of the temple's roof and most of the walls. Despite the enormous destruction caused by the explosion and the loss of ca. 200 men, the Turks continued to defend the fort until a relief attempt from the Ottoman army of Thebes was repulsed on September 28. The garrison then capitulated, on condition of being transported to Smyrna.