Should the UK return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece?

[Cybran]

Greece weren't involved, as they didn't even exist as a nation state until 1830 (their rebellion didn't start until 1821).

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-1710787.html

The Acropolis Museum addresses the same issue in a more visceral way, hanging the honey-coloured Greek marbles alongside stark white plaster copies of the British Museum sections. The Greek government of 1840 had to pay to have these copies made, a quarter of a century after the British parliament authorised purchasing the originals from a bankrupt Lord Elgin. Now they are being used to make the case for reunification in the €130m (£110m) museum. This is architecture as argument.

Although just in case anyone has missed its message, Greek Culture Minister Antonio Samaras is on hand to hammer it home. "For 200 years, the Parthenon Marbles have been amputated, now they must be reunited. The Parthenon frieze speaks through its totality; this voice should be heard not be silenced," Mr Samaras told guests at a special preview. "This museum is creating huge momentum, a global crescendo. We are winning the fight."

When Elgin was trying to sell the Marbles he claimed that he stole them to protect them from the Greek Indepence war that was looming. The Greeks requested the return of their cultural heritage in 1828, but Britain forced them to pay for casts of their own Marbles in 1840.

The whole thing has been a case of imperial theft from the very begining.

Then Elgin did good charity work in obtaining and preserving them.

He cut them in pieces to move them. Some of them sank with his ships. The British museum scraped off the paint to make them look white so that they fit their skewed image of classical art.

The whole thing was a travesty.

[Wirzy]

I dont know how many parts of the parthenon are on the museum but we are not talking about some random stones, the Parthenon it is kind of the national symbol of Greece so it is up to the UK to return the most important parts of it.

[Cybran]

it is up to the UK to return the most important parts of it.

It's up to everyone to presure them to return it. Since they are likely to cling on it for a while, since it's part of the imperial "pride".

[Deleted]

It's up to everyone to presure them to return it. Since they are likely to cling on it for a while, since it's part of the imperial "pride".

Why doesn't greece buy them back?

[Kalis]

He cut them in pieces to move them. Some of them sank with his ships. The British museum scraped off the paint to make them look white so that they fit their skewed image of classical art.

The whole thing was a travesty.

How come you fail to mention the damage done to the Parthenon by modern Greece, or even the wilful destruction and vandalism by the Byzantine Greeks?



As it sees to be confusing people, here's a rough timeline of the Parthenon:

447-432BC: Athenian city state builds Pathenon.
27BC: Athenian city state annexed by Rome, becoming part of Roman Empire. Later the Empire splits into Greek East and Latin West.
1204: Latins take Athens from Rome.
1458: Ottomans take Athens from Latins.
1801-12: Elgin removes marbles.
1821: Greeks begin battle for independence from Ottomans.
1830: Modern Greece established.

[Cybran]

Anything done to the Marbles in Athens pales in comparison to the mistreatment they received by the British museum and it's incompetent staff.

[Kalis]

Anything done to the Marbles in Athens pales in comparison to the mistreatment they received by the British museum and it's incompetent staff.

No it doesn't.

The Byzantine Greeks purposefully destroyed statues, carved into the stone and remodelled the place. The pollution in modern Greece has caused irrepairable damage. The worst event happened when the Venetians blew it up. Elgin is about fourth on the list.

The staff at the British Museum in the 1930s probably don't even rank in the top ten.

[Cybran]

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0504/marble.html

The marbles at the British Museum were damaged in a cleaning scandal in the 1930s that was covered up for decades until 1999. The stones had been scrubbed at Lord Duveen's insistence with copper chisels, wire brushes and abrasives to look more white, destroying details and the ancient patina. The marbles in Greece, on the other hand, which underwent an 11-year-conservation program ending in 2004, have been carefully preserved and have maintained their integrity. Snodgrass said the British can no longer claim to be the superior caretakers.

The British museum staff scraped off the outer layers of the Marbles damaging them permanently and it was on purpose.

[Kalis]

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0504/marble.html


The British museum staff scraped off the outer layers of the Marbles damaging them permanently and it was on purpose.

And the Byzantines deliberately destroyed statues and pollution in modern Athens has utterly ruined the stones.

This isn't the 1930s, you've been told many times that conservation methods have changed, but you still think that one incident is relevant but others aren't, why does that make sense?

Using damage as a reason wouldn't see them returned to the Greeks, as they've fucked them up as well.

[Cybran]

You ignore a study that shows that half of the Marbles that are in Athens are better preserved than those in London. Stay classy, man.

[Kalis]

You ignore a study that shows that half of the Marbles that are in Athens are better preserved than those in London. Stay classy, man.

You ignore everything in order to continue your anti-British agenda and hypocricy regarding Greece.

[Deleted]

You ignore a study that shows that half of the Marbles that are in Athens are better preserved than those in London. Stay classy, man.

Then that means half are even more fucked up.

[Deleted]

right after I win the Miss Teen America contest.

You could totally do it if you wanted to.

[Deleted]

You could totally do it if you wanted to.

Agreed, I just need to overcome 3 small obstacles.