Earthquake Stability of Columns and Statues

The seismic vulnerability of statues mounted on monolithic or multidrum columns is presented in this article. Emphasis is given to the procedure that should be followed for the assessment of the stability to future earthquakes, which is presented through the case study of the statue of Apollo at the Academy of Athens. The earthquake of 1999 (MW = 5.9), at a source distance of about 10 km, caused the base of the statue to slide on the column capital and rotate, with no evidence of any damage having been done to the column or to the Academy Building proper. Earthquake damage of monuments of this type is rarely noticed and, even if observed, is not reported in any detail. This particular case, therefore, offered the opportunity to investigate the stability of statues mounted on multi-drum columns, and also to present critical issues related to the assessment of their vulnerability, as the selection of the ground motions that should be used in the analysis, the determination of the parameters of the numerical models and the correct interpretation of the numerical results. Comments on the validity of the various methods currently in use by practicing engineers are also presented.