As Europe Returns Artifacts, Britain Stays Silent

Interesting - is France returning it's small section of the Parthenon marbles currently on display at the Louvre? Germany? Austria? The Vatican? In fact has any European country returned part of the Parthenon to Greece?

For what it's worth, I absolutely support the return of the marbles to Greece, but to portray their acquisition as looting or theft is possibly disingenious.

The parthenon museum deals with the topic very well , giving a very balanced set of arguments. It boils down to "did Lord Elgin legitimately have documentation that he believed allowed him to remove the marbles from a government that was indifferent to them" (The Ottomans had been using the parthenon as a gunpowder store, any form of Greece recognisable as such had not existed for hundreds of years). The British museum acquired the marbles from Lord Elgin in good faith.

It’s hardly news - this debate has been raging as long as I can remember.

Jennifer - I don't post this article as "news". I just thought it was interesting.

They would have been transformed to cement if Elgin hadn't bought them along with most of the ancient artifacts at the time. Perhaps Greece should pay the British Museum the cost of looking after them (taking inflation into account).

The Parthenon would be more complete if the Marbles go back to their original place. Not for the sake of the Brits or the Greeks but everyone's sake.

They won't go back to their original place. They'll just move to another museum which happens to be closer to the original place. What's the point of that? Anyway, we're still looking at it!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x73PkUvArJY

If it goes from one museum to another for reasons of preservation than it doesn’t matter. But as the Parthenon is an icon of human history and for the Greeks their most historical monument I think the Marbles should stay at their original place or as close as possible. The same as we have in Egypt with their Pyramids, most artifacts are kept there in museums. Nevertheless not being at their original place they are part of Egypt’s historical background / cultural package and makes the nation (more) complete. Should be in this case for Greece too.

Funny video btw.

They already have a new, AC, modern museum facing the Acropolis.

I tend to look at it as a larger issue.

While yes, I suppose we can say that as a point of heritage a region "owns" any artifact that may have came from it's territory, ever, despite political changes over time, and that those artifacts must reside in that territory.

However, diversification and allowing exhibits in other countries can only build appreciation. So while Greece may seem stable and a good repository for all Greek artifacts, using the same strategy in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan probably would have meant a severe loss of antiquity (and to a degree has) to the world. Not that the UK, the US, or France...or any country offers better protection, but spreading the history has it's advantages.

Which artifacts is "Europe" returning?

In other "current events"...the Scots are asking for the Stone of Scone back.

My"solution" will make everyone mad-return some of them to the lovely Acropolis Museum. Leave some at British Museum, where more people will see them. Greece could consider it to be advertising for travel to Greece. Their long-term survival is better if spread out in numerous countries.

the only problem there is that it is a frieze. It tells a story. If you scatter them there is no way to read the story. It would be like taking a jigsaw apart and spreading it around - no picture although each individual piece has a fragment of the picture within.

Can we have the Bayeaux Tapestry back?

So this thread causes me to recall an incident a bunch of years back while we were in the British Museum. My wife took her question directly to an information desk staffed by a couple of young people. "Why do you have all this stuff?" she asked the young lady that had come to her aide. The guy in the background told the young lady, "Give her the brochure." It seems the museum was prepared with printed matter for the question which continues on today. The story has given us a chuckle ever since!