Around the year of 440 BC, a cultural monument was constructed in Athens Greece in dedication to the city’s patron Greek goddess Athena. This monument is known as the Parthenon which not only served as a temple for the athenian people, but also is home to a collection of marble sculptures which we know now as the famous “Elgin Marbles.” These marbles now sit in the British Museum of London thousands of years after their construction, thousands of miles away from the original location in Athens Greece.The Elgin Marbles are a collection of sculptures that were taken from their place of origin, Athens, Greece by Lord Elgin to London in1803. The controversy that has surfaced over the past one hundred plus years deals with the the reasoning behind the removal of the marbles. The two sides of the argument as indicated by Juan Pablo Sanchez in an issue of National Geographic's are whether the marbles were “salvaged or stolen.” In order to understand why this argument stands, one must gain knowledge of what the marbles are, look into both sides of the argument, and finally search for the reasoning behind both sides.
The three different types of sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles are the pediments, metopes, and the frieze. The pediments of the Parthenon are triangular niches on the upper parts of the temple, one which is located on the East, the other on the West. The greek goddess Athena’s tale of her birth is depicted in images carved into the East pediment The East pediment
Therefore, the Greece government demands for their Elgin Marbles or the Parthenon Sculptures to be send back to their rightful home, Greece. In the modern days the argument has arisen about weather or not they should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece? In my opinion, I think that it should remain
As I mentioned, this is an extremely controversial topic that has raised a lot of difference in opinions. Furthermore, I must admit that those arguing for the sculptures to remain in Britain do make some interesting points that plenty of people have taken into consideration. One of their arguments is that the sculptures were already in a damaged and fragile condition, and leaving them in Greece would have destroyed them completely (‘The Parthenon Marbles: Refuting the Arguments”, par 6). In the YouTube video, “Parthenon Marbles Debate ", one of Tristam Hunt’s arguments is if the Greeks are able to acquire their historic artwork, this may cause other countries to demand their historic artifacts as well, not just from the British Museum, but from museums all over the world as well. I can see the counter arguments that this controversy issue involves. However, regardless of whether they were in a horrible condition, the Greeks were never consulted, nor did they have a say regarding the selling of this artwork to Elgin. Now, when it comes to everyone claiming and demanding they receive their ancient artwork, like historian Hunt said; this is true. It can happen, but I don't believe that any other artifacts have the amount of significance that these sculptures do. The Greeks worked their hearts
The famous historical structure known as the Colosseum is a remarkable piece of architecture that has survived for over nearly two millenniums. It was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the people of Rome and completed by his son, Titus in the year 70 A.D. (History, 2009). Since then, the Flavian Amphitheater has gone through lifetimes of changes with chronicles of events. It is one of the most impressive ancient structures that still stand today and is extraordinary because of a multitude of reasons. The Colosseum’s advanced function, structural soundness, as well as its impeccable design contributes to its grandeur. Its initial opening performance did not fail to commemorate its existence, lasting
In “Bring Them Home,” the author explains why certain countries sell their artifacts to protect them from conflicts in their country. Many countries need a place to send their very important valuables to prevent them from getting damaged. A country will sale or send their valuables to a trustable country.As stated in the article,Greece sent “stunning marble sculptures” that were in the Parthenon Temple to keep them from being damaged by the Turkish Government. Now,Greece has took their independence back and wants their sculptures back.It’s only right to send them back considering that Britain’s job was to
Work on this project began after the completion of the Parthenon. It took twenty-five years to complete this project. The location of the Erechtheion is very rocky; because of this, the structure is multilevel and asymmetrical. Surrounded by the Erechtheion is a spring dedicated to Erechtheus. On the structure is the Porch of the Maidens. Supported by female figures called caryatids it faces the Parthenon. There are six caryatids that look to be holding up the porch as columns. They are all assuming the contrapposto pose, which was very popular in art at the
Dedicated to the goddess Athena, the warrior maiden, the Parthenon is a Doric style temple (Gilbert 368). It took about 15 years to complete this strucutre (Gilbert 370). A lot like the Roman Pantheon, it had many columns surrounding the interior and exterior of this structure. This place was decorated with many sculptures along the inner roof top. It was painted in vivid colors, such as red and blue (Gilbert 370). Refered to as the cella its inner chamber housed the monumental statue of the Goddess Athena. Pheidias' hisself created this thirty foot high statue of Athena Parthenos, consisting of a frame made of wood, metal, clay, and plaster.
The Elgin Marbles is the common name for an extensive collection of the Ancient Greek sculpture which has been on display in the British Museum since the early-1800s. The collection includes 75 meters (247 feet) of the original 160-metre (524-foot) frieze from the Parthenon temple in Athens. The frieze is the highly decorative section above the columns in classical Greek architecture. The collection is controversial because of its namesake the seventh Earl of Elgin removed the treasures from Greece with the permission of the Ottomans, who occupied Greece from the mid-15th century until 1821. For decades, the Greeks have called for the priceless artifacts’ return, but the British Museum defends its ownership as legitimate.
“Who Owns the Elgin Marbles?” this question continues to linger in some minds today, and just so happens to be reviewed in the respectfully titled article written by John Henry Merryman in 1986. In this article, Merryman, in the most unbiased way possible, assesses both Britain’s and Greece’s side of the argument pertaining to the ownership of the Elgin Marbles and whether they should be returned to Greece after being removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. Within the article, the main points discussed regard the morality and legality of the removal of the marbles. Merryman goes on to discuss three more main concerns dealing with the marbles and where they belong:
The Elgin Marbles is a culturally important piece of history for Greece. Having said this, it is important that the British museum focuses on being fair and follows the steps taken by other countries to return the items taken from Acropolis. By returning the item, the British Museum will simply be showing a form of peace and will help in attaining a positive outcome.
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
As we are all aware, the Parthenon bears immeasurable cultural importance as a surviving example of Classical architecture in the modern world. The structure also bears many artefacts, including friezes depicting significant historical events such as the occurrences at the Battle of Marathon. The ‘Elgin Marbles’, which were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin upon the agreement of the Ottoman Empire between 1801 and 1805, depict such a scene. The Greek Government have requested that the British Museum return the Marbles, on the basis
I believe that Lord Elgin did the right thing. He helped preserve the statues because there would have been no statues left, if he did not. Athens had already pulverized about forty percent of the statues, for the limestone. They would have pulverized the rest if Lord Elgin had not stepped in. If every country got to keep their own artifacts, how would anyone ever get to visit all the different artifacts that one museum can offer? If the artifacts were donated or purchased, would that be fair to the purchaser? No, it is not. Lord Elgin did everything legally, including getting an export permit from Ottoman authorities, so that he could bring them to Britain
The Frieze was taken from the Parthenon between 1801 and 1812 by Thomas Bruce the Earl of Elgin after he was granted permission to take them by the Ottoman Empire. He later sold them to the British Government in 1816 where it was moved to the British Museum in 1832. The Frieze was shipped in two stages with the first set going in 1803 in 200 boxes with the second shipment in 1809. The transportation of the marbles took so long as Elgin was imprisoned on the Spanish border at Pau for three years. The entire removal process of the marbles taken from the Parthenon cost Elgin £74,000. (4)
One of the most well-known components of the Parthenon are the enormously beautiful and important marble sculptures that were placed in the pediment of the monument. These marbles are shrouded in controversy as to whom they belong: Greece or Britain. These marble sculptures were removed between 1801 and 1812 in order to protect them from possible destruction caused by the war between the Grecians and the Venetians, taken to Britain for refuge by the Earl of Elgin, and sold to the British Museum to be displayed. John Henry Merryman discusses his view on the issue of the ownership of marbles by presenting two main points and the validity of both sides. One aspect of his examination revolves around the legality of the removal of these sculptures.
The Parthenon is located on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece; is a former temple which was dedicated to Greek goddess Athena, whom the Athens considered their leader. According to the British Museum (2015), The Parthenon was built nearly 2500 years ago and has a long and complex history. After thousands of years it became a church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque and then finally resulted in a archaeological ruin. After the result of a ruin, the buildings were reformed in which various sculptures were damaged. During the 1800’s after the Parthenon being damaged, the Elgin marbles (Elgin) a part of the remaining sculpture, was removed and given to a British museum. For hundreds of years there has been a question if the British museum should return the Elgin marbles back to the Athenians or not. I believe that that the safest and most beneficial place for the Elgin marbles is the British museum, therefore the British should not return the marble to the Athenians.