The Elgin Marbles

Q. What's the history of the Elgin Marbles

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In 450AD it was turned into a Christian church, and when the Turks arrived in 1458 the Parthenon became a mosque. In 1687, a Venetian general, Morosini, laid siege to the Acropolis, bombarding it and destroying much of the Parthenon when explosives stored there were set off.

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Q. If they are from Greece, why are they called the Elgin Marbles

A. In 1801 Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, obtained permission from the Sultan to take away sculptures and inscriptions. This he did, with considerable enthusiasm. Thus - the Elgin Marbles

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Q. What happened to them once he got them back to Britain

A. Many of the relics were stored in the grounds of Elgin's London house on Park Lane, and they remained there for years while he tried to find a buyer. Finally, in 1816, they were sold to the British government and were at once transferred to the British Museum, where a special gallery was built for them by Sir Joseph Duveen.

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Q. What about the accusations by the Greeks of British mistreatment of the Marbles

A. Throughout the 19th century, various travellers remarked on the desolation of the Acropolis, some even suggesting that Elgin had done more harm than the Venetian bombardment. In November 1999, a team of six conservationists produced a report claiming that the statues were severely damaged during a misguided attempt at restoration during the 1930s.

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Q. And the demand for their return

A. As far back as December 1940 a Labour MP, Mrs Keir, asked Churchill if the marbles would be returned in recognition of Greek resistance to the Germans. Churchill was against the idea.

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Q. What's the current state of play

A. The Greek authorities continue to demand the return of the marbles. Athens is pinning its hopes on their return by 2004, when it once again hosts the Olympic Games. There is a project to build a �40 million museum to house the marbles within sight of their old home in the Parthenon. If the statues - now officially called the Parthenon Marbles by both Britain and Greece - are not back when the museum is opened, a huge empty space will be left for them in the main hall to remind an expected three million visitors of British intransigence.

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See also the article on the African Galleries at the British Museum

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For more on Arts & Literature click here

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By Simon Smith