The old Acropolis Museum was permanently closed in early July and work has begun on preparing all its exhibits for transfer to the new Acropolis Museum, Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported.Culture officials demonstrated Thursday how more than 300 statues from the Acropolis are being packed for a move this September to a new museum being built at the bottom of the hill.Statues from the Parthenon and other temples, up to 2,600 yearsold and weighing up to 2.5 tons, are being fitted with padded harnesses and will be lowered by chains and pulleys into styrofoam-filled boxes made out of plywood and metal.Once packed, they will be moved by crane from a tiny museum on the Acropolis to a purpose-built glass and concrete museum designed by U.S.-based architect Bernard Tschumi.The old Acropolis Museum was built next to the Parthenon on thesummit of the Sacred Rock in Athens and has been in operation for 133 years.The new Acropolis museum is due to open in early 2008.