What Are The Elgin Marbles Controversy

The elgin marbles have been controversial for over 200 years with the acropolis museum in athens which houses the remaining sculptures keeping a space empty for them amongst its current.

What are the elgin marbles controversy.

Lord elgin a staunch patriot had turned down lucrative offers from other governments for the treasures and argued all along that the marbles would add luster to britain s imperial image. They were originally part of the temple of the parthenon and other buildings on the acropolis of athens. The elgin marbles are a source of controversy between modern britain and greece. The british defend their ownership of the marbles based on greece s lack of an adequate museum and the fact that they paid for the pieces mcguigan 2.

The first serious discussion about returning the elgin marbles is said to have been initiated in an exchange of correspondence in a newspaper in 1925 with courtenay pollock arguing that the time. Making a grand gresture by returning the elgin marbles. Some doubt the legality of the aquisition. It s a collection of stone pieces rescued removed from the ruins of the ancient greek parthenon in the nineteenth century and now in demand to be sent back from the british museum to greece.

γλυπτά του παρθενώνα also known as the elgin marbles ˈ ɛ l ɡ ɪ n are a collection of classical greek marble sculptures made under the supervision of the architect and sculptor phidias and his assistants. Greece maintains that their demand is for permanent return of the parthenon marbles. Elgin marbles collection of ancient greek sculptures and architectural details in the british museum london where they are now called the parthenon sculptures. Today much controversy surrounds the ownership elgin marbles both the british and greeks argue that each have legal and moral claim over the parliament s marble adornments.

The real story of the elgin marbles. Acquiring the sculptures had bankrupted elgin and he was keen to sell them to the government. The elgin marbles have been surrounded by controversy for decades. Meanwhile in london the elgin marbles started a new chapter of their history as museum objects.

Apparently elgin obtained written permission to excavate and remove the sculptures from the sultan however the original document was lost. The objects were removed from the parthenon at athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to england by arrangement of thomas bruce 7th lord elgin who was british ambassador to the ottoman empire 1799 1803.