Whose Marbles Are They? Controversy Over the Parthenon Marbles | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Whose Marbles Are They? Controversy Over the Parthenon Marbles

The Conflict

The Greek government seeks the return of its cultural treasures, the Parthenon Marbles, which were removed in the early nineteenth century by foreign ambassador Lord Elgin and installed in the British Museum.

Political

• The British government claims that it obtained the marbles legally, citing Elgin's receipt of a firman, or decree, from the Turkish sultan.
• The Greek government questions the legality and ethics ofElgin's removal of the Parthenon Marbles, claiming that Elgin stretched the terms of the firman and bribed Turkish officials.

Cultural

• Greece claims the marbles were removed illegally and are an integral part of the Parthenon.
• While British Prime Minister Tony Blair opposes returning the marbles to Greece, a majority of the ministers of Parliament (MPs), as well as a majority of the British public, support the repatriation of the artwork.

In 2000 officials from Athens, Greece, reported plans for a citywide revival, including a state-ofthe-art subway system and a brand-new Acropolis Museum. The museum, which had been on the Greek agenda since the 1980s, would replace the small, outmoded, nineteenth-century-built galleries and would stand in view of Greece's greatest national monument, the Parthenon.

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