Should the Elgin Marbles be returned to Greece?

Question

The statues from the Parthenon are currently in the British Museum, but Greece regularly demands them back, as they are part of Greece's ancient history. Do they belong back on the Acropolis, or are works of art and famous artefacts the property of people as a whole rather than specific nations?

Answer 1

This reminds me of the argument by the Indian govt that the British crowl jewels' jewels should be returned.

My answer is no for both artefacts; leave them where there were acquired by colonial powers at the time and now stand. Both the Elgin marbles and the jewels of the crown and other purportedly "stolen" artefacts like obelisks, etc.) are now permanently in very secure, protected enviroments where millions of people world over do come and enjoy viewing them.

It would be selfish and over-nationalistic to take them back just to keep them in the originating country.

Answer 2

This mindset that the Greeks do not take care of their artifacts is outdated and quite pathetic. Even 20 years ago, the answer would undoubtedly be Britain, but Greece has modernized and has some of the best museums in the world. The marbles would not return to the Parthenon, they would be placed within the Acropolis Museum, which already has place settings ready for them. Greece is perfectly capable of protecting and preserving the 'Elgin' marbles, equally capable as the British Museum. Thus the marbles should in fact return to Greece as they were illegally acquired. It's not a matter of all artifacts should return to the place of origin, because usually they are acquired by purchase or trade. These were not.

Britain was not the colonial power in Greece, Turkey was. The Turks gave them to Elgin because they were fighting the Greeks at the time. It would be like the British stealing the Declaration of Indepdence because the U.S. was not a sovereign nation at the time.

marguerite, it's not an 'assumption.' Elgin smuggled them out of Greece after paying off a few Ottoman guards. It was not a legal transaction between two states. And people keep mis-understanding that the Ottomans were mistreating the artifacts, not the Greeks. Nobody denies that Elgin did what he thought was best, and probably was the best thing at the time. That's not the argument.

Answer 3

This approach that the Greeks do no longer take care of their artifacts is previous and fairly pathetic. Even 2 many years in the past, the respond could easily be Britain, yet Greece has modernized and has the fairly some maximum suitable museums interior the worldwide. The marbles does no longer return to the Parthenon, they could be located in the Acropolis Museum, which already has place settings waiting for them. Greece is unquestionably able to preserving and retaining the 'Elgin' marbles, the two able because of the fact the British Museum. for this reason the marbles could surely return to Greece as they have been illegally obtained. that is no longer a count of all artifacts could return to the area of beginning, because of the fact often they're obtained by employing purchase or commerce. those weren't. Britain grow to be no longer the colonial capability in Greece, Turkey grow to be. The Turks gave them to Elgin because of the fact they have been scuffling with the Greeks on the time. it may be like the British stealing the assertion of Indepdence because of the fact the U.S. grow to be no longer a sovereign usa on the time. marguerite, that is no longer an 'assumption.' Elgin smuggled them out of Greece after paying off some Ottoman guards. It grow to be no longer a legal transaction between 2 states. and persons save mis-information that the Ottomans have been mistreating the artifacts, no longer the Greeks. no one denies that Elgin did what he thought grow to be maximum suitable, and probable grow to be the main suitable element on the time. that is no longer the argument.

Answer 4

Elgin Marbles Wiki

Answer 5

Of course they should be returned to Greece!
First of all let me say that the Elgin marbles are actually called the Parthenon sculptures.
The marbles are not just artifacts that use to decorate Parthenon, but on the contrary the sculptures were part of the temple. Lord Elgin did not rescues or discover the marbles -like a user mistakenly said- but in order to reap the sculptures from their place he BROKE, CUT, SAW, and nearly destroyed the temple and cause irreversible damage to the sculptures! A lot of people also don’t know that half of the sculptures are still in Athens. Also a lot of the marble figures of the "metopes" were left in half! Actually Elgin “mutilate” the sculptures and stole only the half!
A head of a horse rider is in British Museum, the body is in Athens and the legs of the horse are in the British museum!!!
Greece was controlled by the ottoman forces at the tome of the crime and Lord Elgin actually stole the Parthenon sculptures from Acropolis. He took a permit from the ottomans to study the sculptures but he instead stole them!
An example that will help you understand the situation is the follow: “Let’s say for a moment that Napoleon had won the war and the French occupied for a while England. Imagine also that a German Lord Elgin appears and steals half of Stonehenge (a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire.)
England manages to liberate and realize that half of the stones are in a German museum and the Germans refuse to return them saying that the stones are part of the German culture. How will the British react? Wouldn’t they do their best to bring their inheritance back home? Wouldn’t that be the right thing to do?
Of course the Parthenon stolen sculptures were never properly protected and preserved in the British Museum. Besides the fact that London had the worst pollution in Europe for decades, the sculptures were irrevocably damaged by the unauthorized "cleaning" methods employed by British Museum staff in the 1930s. Acting under the erroneous belief that the marbles were originally bright white - under the orders of Joseph Duveen the marbles were cleaned with copper tools and caustics, causing serious damage and altering the marbles' colouring. (The Pentelicon marble on which the carvings were made naturally acquires a tan colour similar to honey when exposed to air). In addition, the process scraped away all traces of surface colouring that the marbles originally held, but more regretably, the detailed tone of many carvings were lost forever.
We can definitely say that the sculptures were brutally treated, mutilated and not well preserved! The best think the British museum can do is to immediate return their pieces and reunited them with the other parts that are still in Athens!
By the way in every poll and survey in the UK almost 90% of the British agree that the Parthenon stolen sculptures should be returned in Greece.
Read what the divine Lord Byron has written about the subject
“Dull is the eye that will not weep to see
Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed
By British hands, which it had best behoved
To guard those relics ne'er to be restored.
Curst be the hour when from their isle they roved,
And once again thy hapless bosom gored,
And snatch'd thy shrinking gods to northern climes abhorred!
Lord Byron, "Childe Harold"
And
“The Honourable Lord has taken advantage of the most unjustifiable means and has committed the most flagrant pillages. It was, it seems, fatal that a representative of our country loot those objects that the Turks and other barbarians had considered sacred,"
said Sir John Newport.
A contemporary MP Thomas Hughes, an eye witness, later wrote:
"The abduction of small parts of the Parthenon, of a value relatively small but which previously contributed to the solidity of the building, left that glorious edifice exposed to premature ruin and degradation. The abduction dislodged from their original positions, wherefrom they precisely drew their interest and beauty, many pieces which are altogether unnecessary to the country that now owns them."
(Eternal curses to the thief Lord Elgin!)

Answer 6

The Elgin Marbles should be returned. They are a symbol of Greek cultural heritage that was bought from Turkish occupiers of Greece and rudely cut away, defacing the greatest cultural monument of Greece. Lord Elgin looted boatloads of ancient Greek sculpture to take advantage of Greek misery and oppression. It's an embarassment to the UK, where abstract ideas about art overshadow the means by which the art was taken and the denial of the importance of these pieces to Greek national culture.

Answer 7

If all works of art had to be returned to the lands in which they originated then museums could not exhibit the art of cultures other than their own.

also, to the person who assumed they were stolen, the British Museum did not "nick" the Elgin Marbles. They were discovered by the Earl of Elgin, broken, lying in the rubble, and at risk of being totally destroyed. Recognizing their beauty and historic significance he saved them for posterity.
(The Parthenon at that time was under the control of the Ottoman Empire who used it as an ammunition dump. The Turks at that time, in common with many other Islamic invaders, destroyed anything from other religions that they considered a graven image - which basically means anything other than abstract designs.)

Most items in museums have either been purchased by those museums, or donated or loaned by people who want to share the beauty and/or history of those items with others.
Because most countries now have national museums, historic or archaelogical artifacts discovered now usually remain in the country of origin, but in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries few countries outside Europe and North America had such places. Had Lord Elgin left the marbles where they lay, they would probably not exist.

So, the answer to your question is: yes, works of art belong to all people.

Answer 8

There are a lot of factors involved, but I think Greece wants them for sentimental reasons, and the British want them for practicle reasons. I don't wish to take sides, but perhaps if the Greeks truly cared for their artifacts, then keeping them in the British museum is probably a good thing, as at least they are being taken care of.

I would recomend that the artifacts be officially the property of the Greek government, but on the provision that they be kept in the museum. Would this would suit both parties?

Answer 9

In theory & Ideally I think they should be in Greece. However you have a good point that history & culture & artifacts belong to everyone world -wide not just one country. The Brits did pinch them afterall, so I don't know. But at time,the Greeks & Greek authorites (don't forget it was military dictatorship for ages) didn't give 2 hoots about their wonderful ancient history & ruins. The Acropolis & other places were used as bomb & amunition storage for ages.So good job the Brits kept things safe. Think of all the art in arts galleries worldwide that doesn't come from the same country . Maybe now Greece are more modern & responsible Britain should give it back ? But then again the British Queen has a Greek husband so who knows.

Answer 10

A hard one, id say no in this case. They were taken in a different age, and if Britain did that, it surely sets a precedent that would mean every museum and gallery in the world would have to give back every artifact to the nation it originally came from.

However, i have mud bricks from Nineveh and Babylon at home, they have cuneiform writing on them still. I took them whilst in Iraq in 1980's. The reason being, as my user name suggests, i am of ancient mesopotamian stock, unlike 95% of modermn iraqis, and i saw these artifact as my heritage and culture, not theirs.

Answer 11

Hi!

Firstly, you have to realise, that when these artifacts were taken from these places, the people who took them, realised their importance, when the actual owners did not!

It is obvious that the original owners, did not value these artifacts, because they left them to get into bad states of repair, these items were rescued, rather than stolen!!

Now that the Greeks have wised up and now treasure their history, they want them back!

If the Elgin marbles were returned, surely by right, 'all' artifacts taken from other countries, would have to be returned, from museums all over the world, to their respective countries, from which they were originally taken!!?

This would mean, if you wanted to visit a museum, with say, Egyptian antiquities, you would have to travel to Egypt, to see them, is this right?

If Greece had been the nation at the forefront of archaeology back then and had excavated remains in Britain, was proud to display them, in Greece, would they want to return them to Britain?

Somehow, i don't think so!!