PARTHENON MARBLES

The Parthenon – the temple to the goddess Athene that still today stands above her city Athens – is perhaps the most iconic image of the classical world, representing the extraordinary flourishing of creativity, confidence and culture that occurred in Athens in the 5th century BCE. So why is it that such historically significant works have spent the last 200 years in London? And is it time for ‘Culture to come home’?

A Block Classical Civilisation debate the issue….

SO WHY ARE THEY HERE?

The world-famous Parthenon sculptures comprise of pedimental figures and decorative panels that depict myths key to the Athenians and their sense of identity: the birth of Athene, her contest with Poseidon to be patron of the city, and the battles between the Lapiths and the half-man, half-horse Centaurs that represented the triumph of Greek over barbarian, civilisation over barbarism. Previously known as the Elgin Marbles, these have been residing in The British Museum since 1801, when the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and lover of art and antiquities, Thomas Bruce (the 7th Lord Elgin), shipped them from Athens to England. He reasoned that the artistry of the Parthenon would be better preserved in a safer location such as Britain, and had purchased the Marbles from the Ottoman Empire (which occupied Greece at that time), gaining a firman (royal approval) from the Sultan. Lord Elgin sold the sculptures to the British Museum in 1816, but he has since been assailed for vandalism and dishonesty, and the Greeks have been lobbying for decades to secure the Marbles’ return. With the international debate around the repatriation of artwork now more intense than ever, the question of the Marbles has been reignited by both the Greek and UK governments.

SHOULD THEY STAY…

One reason for them to remain in England is the condition they are in. The British Museum has done an amazing job of preserving the sculptures. They were already fragile when they were first moved (the Parthenon had been devastated in 1687, when the Ottomans used the temple as an ammunition-store and the Venetians bombed it!) and some decay is guaranteed from delicate carving that old. However, the British Museum’s preservation efforts have not been in vain. In a purpose-built space, thousands of daily visitors can easily view the Ionic frieze, depicting the Athenian festival, the Great Panathenaia, as well as the Western and Eastern Pediments, showing the birth of Athene from Zeus’ head, and winning the naming contest for Athens against the god of the sea, Poseidon. And while it’s true that over time, the Marbles have degraded, making the identification of some of the characters or scenes more challenging, the statues have experienced very little erosion since the first shipment.

Another reason is the fragility of the sculptures. While they have been kept in excellent conditions, they haven’t been moved that often. A trip that long carries the risk that the Marbles would be damaged or lost and could be disastrous. Even if Greece were to have temporary loan, as has been proposed, that would mean more trips which would amplify the risk of damage. To further support this, there is a bigger audience in London, where there are roughly 20 million visitors to the London each year, whereas Athens only has seven million, which means that a return would mean fewer people have the chance to see them.

A final reason is that England owns the Marbles legally. Elgin received a royal decree from the Ottoman Sultan of the time and did pay for them. Not only that, but back in 1801, Greece did not yet exist as a state, so it could be argued that Greece has no claim on them as during the time of the deal, it did not exist as an entity.

The UK has done a good job of preserving the sculptures over time and moving them for temporary loan or permanent relocation is not worth the risk of destroying these iconic pieces of the ancient world. The Marbles should remain in Britain.

Cameron B (10G)

… OR SHOULD THEY GO?

The British Museum is globally-famous for housing many of the world’s most culturally significant artefacts. However, it is also known for being the museum with the most stolen works of art, as many of the displays and exhibits depict priceless objects from all over the world and not just Britain. One of the most popular exhibits is of the Parthenon Marbles – but these were not created or originally sited in Britain. As a result, many ask the question; what are so many Greek artefacts doing here in Britain and not Greece, their original home?

The argument against the Museum’s keeping the Marbles may be summarised into three main points: theft by Lord Elgin and vandalism by the British Museum, the integrity of Greece’s cultural heritage, and the damaging legacy of British Imperialism.

Lord Elgin had ‘legally’ purchased the Marbles from the Ottomans, with the approval of the Sultan. But did the Ottoman Empire even have the jurisdiction to sell the Parthenon?

It was an occupying force that had taken over Greece following the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Did such an aggressor have the moral right to sell off the heritage of a nation it has rapaciously invaded? It could be interpreted as theft in a similar way to the Benin Bronzes – an equally controversial work of art: would the British Empire have had the moral right to sell them off, having appropriated them in its 1897 incursion into Southern Nigeria? So, was the legal contract between Elgin and the Ottomans at all valid? Furthermore, the Ottomans used the Parthenon as an ammunition storage which resulted in its later bombing. This clearly shows carelessness and neglect from the Ottomans, who did not have a cultural connection to the Parthenon Marbles like the Athenians did.

Nowadays Greece is safe from such instability, and the return of the Marbles will be returning an important part of Athens’ cultural heritage. Many believe that the Athenians should be allowed to keep all of the Parthenon in the same place as it would be beneficial to most: for the simplicity of having all the Marbles in one place; to promote tourism through easy access to them; and for a sense of continuity with their history. Visitors would be able to see the genuine artefacts in its original environment, together with the remains of the temple itself. Athens even has a newly constructed, beautiful, modern and well-built museum, perfectly suited to house its own Marbles!

It is a vitally important piece of history to Athenians – perhaps the most famous surviving remnant of classical Greek history. Britain has no emotional or historical connection to it. The sculptures were not made by Britons, they were not originally placed in a British temple, and they are not part of Britain’s history. In fact, the British have no moral claim on them – the British Museum itself admitted in 1999 (24 years ago!) that it had damaged the sculptures in the 1930s through “heavyhanded” use of wire-wool in a cleaning process. Vandalism, some may call it. The original paint was rubbed off the statues in a misguided attempt to “clean” it, which stripped away a part of the Marbles’ artistry. To make things worse, they tried to cover up this failure, an act which they themselves have admitted was a “scandal”. Britain can hardly claim that it has demonstrated that it will take better care of the sculptures than the Greeks.