Elgin Marbles Analysis

Paulene Thorp
ANT206-001
May 2, 2016
Parthenon Debate
Elgin Marbles
On a plateau after the Greek army’s final victory after fighting the Persians in 479 B.C. Pericles, a Athenian statesman decided to created the Parthenon on Acropolis, which took fifteen years to complete. The Parthenon was built to honor the Greek goddess Athena, and had decorative sculptures which were “symbolic of Greece’s political and cultural history” (2). The decorative sculptures consisted of 92 metopes that depicted the “victories of the Greek gods, heroic battles of heroes, along with the victory of civilization over barbarism”(2). Also located on the Parthenon were friezes that were significant to the Greeks because it depicted the “citizens close to the gods, which …show more content…
Greece would like them to returned because they are “an integral part of an existing cultural monument”, in addition it is also “a central position in the cultural heritage of Greece, and are symbolic of Greek people’s link to the past”(4). The Greek people also believe that there were removed without permission from the Greek people. Britain wants to keep the Marbles because since the Marbles have been in England for over 150 years, in which over time they have also become part of their cultural heritage, that they “help define the British to themselves while inspiring British arts”(5). And that keeping the Marbles in Britain Museum the “Museum is a unique resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allows a world-wide public to re-examine cultural identities and explore the complex network of interconnected human cultures. The Trustees lend extensively all over the world and over two million objects from the collection are available to study online. The Parthenon Sculptures are a vital element in this interconnected world collection. They are a part of the world’s shared heritage and transcend political boundaries”(Debate). Britain also believes that through Lord Elgin acquiring the Marbles that he saved them from their destruction at the Parthenon, in addition to them being acquired legally. If the Marbles would have been left laying on the ground those for sure would have been “destroyed or burned for lime”(5). Some additional arguments for keeping the Marbles in Britain listed in the article was that Lord Elgin’s removal of the Marbles was within the international law at the time. He was granted permission from the Turkey authorities. For 150 years the Marbles have been located at the British Museum, in which they have taken great care and of great expense to preserve the Marbles. Another point that should be discusses is the environmental damage that would

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