The Return of the Marbles

Britain and the British Museum, and the rest of the worldwide museum community, fear that the return of the marbles would make every collection on earth vulnerable to similar demands.

They also worry that collections of art outside their nations of origin would be almost impossible to maintain, and this would put the preservation of these objects at risk. They point to the devastation of the museum in Kabul and those in Baghdad as reasons that ancient art should be preserved in as many locations as possible to preserve its legacy for future generations no matter what the winds of political change bring.

In the past, they have also stated or implied that they are more capable of taking good care of the Marbles than Greece itself would be.

Greece wants its property back. In Greece's view, the marbles were stolen by Lord Elgin. The original documents giving "permission" to Elgin even from the Ottoman occupiers don't seem to include taking them out of the country, so even Elgin's own justification - which he presented to the British Museum - is faulty.

In an effort to prove "worthy" of their own ancient art, Greece has improved its museums and stands ready to build a special facility just for the marbles, near their original location on the Acropolis.

They have also protested to the British Museum for allowing the Parthenon Marbles room to be used as a backdrop for patron dinners, and pointed out that, on their acquisition, the British Museum bleached the marbles of all their remaining traces of ancient paint... hardly advanced preservation techniques.

International pressure is rising for the return of the marbles, especially on the basis that they were truly stolen by Lord Elgin, rather than ceremoniously removed with the permssion of the Ottoman Empire.

The late former Minister of Culture and renowned Greek actress Melina Mercouri made the return of the marbles her special concern. While she did not live to see them come back, her efforts raised international awareness and made it an essential issue in Graeco-British relations.