The exact proprietor of the Elgin Marbles has been disputed for many years between the British Museum and the Greek Ministry of Culture in Greece. The British Museum intends to keep the Elgin Marbles in London and on display in the Duveen galleries. The Greek Ministry of Culture is trying to acquire the Elgin Marbles, who claims Greece is the correct residence of the marbles, to be placed in the New Acropolis Museum in Athens. My stance in this dispute is for the Eglin Marbles to be returned to Greece so they can be placed in the New Acropolis Museum. My resolution to this problem is for the British Museum to give half of the Elgin Marbles to the New Acropolis Museum, which will choose the marbles they want to receive. In return the British Museum would receive a few pieces of artwork from the New Acropolis Museum. The first issue of the Elgin Marbles is who is considered to be the proper owner of the marbles. British Museum claims they are because they purchased the marbles from Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, who brought them to London after he acquired firmans from the Ottomans who ruled Greece at this time. But the firmans given to Lord Elgin from the Ottomans counter his actions in removing the marbles from the Parthenon. The firmans only gave Elgin permission to copy, draw, mold, and dig around the Parthenon not remove the marbles (UNESCO). The second firman gave Elgin permission “to dig, take away any sculpture or inscriptions which do not interfere with the works or walls of the citadel” (“History of the Marbles”). The second confirmation that Elgin did not have the right to remove the marbles from the Parthenon is a letter from Robert Adair the British Ambassador to Constantinople. Adair wrote to Elgin on July 31st,... ... middle of paper ... ..., Ian. "The 1930s Cleaning of the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum." British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. . Theodorou, Theodore . "Robert Adair's letter to Lord Elgin." Adair to Elgin. Trans. Leonora Navari Web. 22 Mar 2014. . UNESCO, ed. Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin. Athens, Greece: 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. . Voulgarakis, Georgios. The Presentation of The First Fragment of The Parthenon Marbles That Was Returned in Greece. University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 05 Sept. 2006. Ministry of Culture and Sports. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. .
The controversy began almost one hundred years ago. Between 1801 and 1812, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed several sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and shipped them to England, where he sold them to the British Museum in 1816. 167 years later, Melina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture, requested that the “Elgin” Marbles be returned. This request sparked one of the greatest debates the art world has ever known. For the past two decades, people have argued over who has the rights to these Marbles. The Greek position is certainly understandable from a cultural and emotional point of view. However, from the standpoint of legality and logic, it is hard to make a solid case against the Marbles’ continued presence in Britain.
There is an ongoing debate on whether the Parthenon Marbles, now located in London, England, should be returned to their original homeland of Athens, Greece. The marbles were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin from 1801-1812 and transported to England. They were sold to the British government in 1816 and put in the British Museum where they have been for the last 200 years. I believe that the marbles should now be returned to Greece, not only because of the method and circumstances surrounding their removal, but because they are original pieces of the oldest and most symbolic structure in Greek history that epitomizes the pinnacle of Ancient Classical Greece and the beginning of western democracy through artistic ingenuity.
"NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ATHENS - OFFICIAL SITE." NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF ATHENS - OFFICIAL SITE. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .
"Should Britain Return the Elgin Marbles?" The Week UK. N.p., 14 Feb. 2009. Web. 13 Feb.
...best case for the retention of the British Benin sculptures is to accord them the unique status they deserve as exceptional artworks and exhibit them appropriately in a prestigious national art gallery, for everyone to appreciate fully.
In Rome the buildings were constructed under Roman Empire. The Roman Colosseum was constructed between 69 to 79 CE by the Vespasian emperor, The Circus Maximum was built in the 2nd century B.C by the high emperor, in 31 B.C the fire destroyed it that led Emperor Augustus to rebuild the Circus in 82 AD, Ludus Magnus was a gladiatorial training school in Rome and it was originally built between 81-96AD by Emperor Domitian. The emperor’s theme was large public stone buildings that would bring the people of Rome together and also the emperor was rich and they had manpower. The emperors also patron towards the workers and also to prove that they are the great leaders. The emperors had money, a lot of workers to build the buildings to the Emperor’s satisfaction. The buildings were used by the public as entertainment where they would go and watch all sorts of races & fights.
For years on end, countries have been fighting with big museums from other countries for ancient artifacts that belong to the original countries. The argument of whether or not the museums should be able to keep them still remains. It is the right of the country to have their own artifacts. It is imperative for countries to be able showcase their historical artifacts, therefor museums should return them to their rightful owners.
...ity in Classical Athens. New York, NY: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) in Collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, 2008. Print.
The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structures are built using straight lines they tend to look slightly distorted due to the science of optics. The architects Iktos and Kallikretes were skilled architects of their time and they used illusory tactics to create an ideal aesthetic for The Parthenon. The architects compensated for these visual illusions by counteracting them in their design. The end result is a structure that is not composed of straight lines, but when viewed by the human eye, looks perfectly straight. Plato would have mentioned one of his famous dictums, ?That which changes least is most real.? He would have viewed Iktos and Kallikretes designs as less real than other designs that do not u...
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Morris, Ian. Classical Greece: ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
GREECE & ROME. Archaeology [serial online]. November 1987;40(6):18. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed December 22, 2011.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
...troversy as all countries have lost, to a great or lesser extent, treasures of national renown and significance over time. Wars, theft, treasure seeking, changing boundaries and migration have all in some way contributed to this diaspora of art. There is clear evidence that the historic placing of objects in locations remote from their origin has on occasion afforded protection and preservation, The Elgin Marbles in The British Museum being a case in point. However, given the overarching principle of self determination it is difficult to argue that serendipitous historic placement is sufficient reason for items of true national heritage to be kept indefinitely. A world-wide system of touring exhibitions and cultural exchange, with context being provided by the originating society may provide the natural progression to the accessible widening of people’s experiences.
The Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is perhaps the most famous ancient landmark in the world. The Colosseum was the host to thousands of gladiatorial shows, mock naval battles, executions, and animal hunts. Today, the Colosseum still stands in the center of Rome, Italy, however, not quite as it used to be. Still, today, the Roman Colosseum is a large tourist attraction, thousands of tourists from all over the world still come to view this marveled arena. The Roman Colosseum has a rich history, and remains a prized possession of the Roman citizens.