Elgin Marbles

 Elgin Marbles are a compilation of ancient Greek marble sculptures (https://smarthistory.org/who-owns-the-parthenon-sculptures-2/), that were inquired by Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin, a British diplomat to the Ottman Empire. He obtained the sculptures by persuading the Ottoman government that they needed to be saved for “posterity”.  The removal of the collection took 12 years and was kept private for at least ten years. Finally, after receiving some written criticism about their removal, the crown began an investigation procuration of the collection by Lord Elgin. They determined that Thomas obtained the collection legally and bought it for him for only half of what it cost him to ship it.  They are currently on display at the British Museum in London. The question is should the Elgin Marbles be returned to Greece or stay in the British Museum? In my opinion, I believe that the collection should be returned to Greece. The reason behind this is that it is its original origin, the collection should be home. I feel that Great Britain obtained this collection under false pretenses. Lord Elgin claimed that the collection needed to be saved for posterity but had to destroy part of the Parthenon in order to remove the collection. Then kept it for his private collection for sometime, making it kind of underhanded. The crown should have returned the collection to Greece, as soon as Greece wasn't part of the Ottoman Empire anymore. It wasn’t Lord Elgin to sell. 

I do, however, believe that ancient artifacts should be shared with everyone across the globe, this way generations can view and learn from them. These are the types of treasures that should be shared and not just the property of one person.  






Figure of Iris from the west pediment of the Parthenon, c. 438-432 B.C.E., marble, 135 cm high (The British Museum)

Iris, from the west pediment of the Parthenon, c. 438-432 B.C.E., marble, 135 cm high, Athens, Greece © Trustees of the British Museum



Marble metope from the Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, c. 447-438 B.C.E. (The British Museum)

Marble metope from the Parthenon, c. 447-438 B.C.E., 172 cm tall, Acropolis, Athens © Trustees of the British Museum

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