Dr Alexandros Mantis is lecturing at King’s College, London on New finds from the sculptures of the Parthenon

From:
Apokrisi

New Finds from the Sculpture of the Parthenon
On: Wed 22 October 2008 – 19:00

Lecture by Dr Alexandros Mantis, Director of the Acropolis Ephorate on the new finds from the Sculpture of the Parthenon. Organised by the Greek Archaeological Committee (UK) this event is open to the public. Further information and bookings on 020 7935 2020. Venue: King’s College London, Strand, London, WC2R

A local MP wants a House of Commons debate to secure the future of artefacts discovered in Loftus in North-East England. Once again, it is interesting to see how locating artefacts within their original context is important for many reasons, but is something that is regularly glossed over by the British Museum as being irrelevant.

From:
This is the North-East

Battle to keep artefacts in region may head to Commons
By Graeme Hetherington

THE battle to keep ancient Anglo Saxon artefacts in the region could be heading to the House of Commons.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour MP Ashok Kumar, is seeking a special House of Commons debate to secure the future of the rare collection of treasures unearthed in Loftus.
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Andrew George MP (Liberal Democrat) has tabled a new Early Day Motion on the Elgin Marbles & the opening of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens next year. An amended EDM arguing against the general spirit of the first has been tables by Peter Luff MP (Conservative).
Andrew George recently became chair of the Marbles Reunited campaign.

From:
Parliamentary Information Management Web Site

EDM 433
RESTITUTION OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES
28.11.2007

George, Andrew

That this House welcomes the development of the New Acropolis Museum in Athens which is planned to open next year and which clearly demonstrates the capacity of the Greek authorities to receive and satisfactorily install those marbles from the Parthenon which were, in the past, removed in previous periods, including the so-called Elgin Marbles; notes that the principles of the restitution of museum items is now well established, which include the British Museum’s return of Aboriginal remains to Australia under the Human Tissue Act 2004 and a number of fragments from the Parthenon and the Acropolis to Greece from collections in Germany, Sweden and elsewhere; believes that the opening of the New Acropolis Museum will give the British Museum a golden opportunity to demonstrate its goodwill towards the project; and calls on the Government to work with the British Museum to open a dialogue with the Greek authorities to arrange for the proper restitution of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens. Read the rest of this entry »

Ian Jenkins of the British Museum has just written a new book about the portion of the Parthenon sculptures located there.

The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum
Author: Ian Jenkins
Publisher: British Museum Press
ISBN: 0714122610

From:
Daily Telegraph

Christmas books: Art
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 29/11/2007
Martin Gayford views the best art books and finds both prehistoric carvings and paintings so new they are scarcely dry

[...]

The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum by Ian Jenkins

The British Museum does not, of course, own all the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon, but only those given by Lord Elgin. Nearly half still remain in Athens. Many others have been destroyed by explosion, iconoclasm and other misfortunes. What this book illustrates, therefore, is a fragment of a fragment.
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Richard Lacayo is gradually interviewing various key players in international restitution issues. This time its the turn of Philippe de Montebello, director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum, who famously returned the Euphronios krater to Italy.

From:
Time Magazine Blogs

November 27, 2007 4:11
A Talk With: Philippe de Montebello

Over the past few months I’ve been having a series of conversations with museum directors about the controversies over “cultural property” and the demands by nations like Greece, Italy and Egypt that museums in the U.S. and elsewhere return treasured antiquities. I sat down recently with Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As you already know, in response to demands from the Italian Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli, the Met agreed last year to return 20 artifacts to Italy, including the prized Euphronios krater.

As I usually do, I’ll divide the excerpts from that conversation into a couple of posts.
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A ship discovered off the Welsh coast could lead to repatriation claims as it is excavated.

From:
IC Wales

Canada in bid for return of excavated ship timbers
Nov 24 2007 by Rhodri Clark, Western Mail

AN ELGIN Marbles-style tug of war could be brewing over the remains of a ship that is about to be excavated off the Welsh coast.

Part of the hull of the sailing ship City of Ottawa is to be raised from Rhyl harbour in the next three months, and already Canada is staking a claim.
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The Elgin Marbles is the most prominent, but far from the only restitution argument affecting Europe’s museums.

From:
IC Wales

Give us back our marbles, say Greeks
Nov 24 2007 by Rhodri Clark, Western Mail

After colonial rule and two world wars, there are arguments galore in Europe over where historic artefacts should reside

The Elgin Marbles, below, are at the centre of the biggest controversy over repatriation. The sculptures originally decorated ancient buildings in Athens but were moved to Britain 200 years ago by Lord Elgin. Now at the British Museum, London, they are the subject of a long-running campaign to return them to Greece.
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Channel 4 News had a feature on the New Acropolis Museum, being built to (hopefully) house the Elgin Marbles when they are returned to Athens.

A video of the original report can be seen here.

From:
Channel 4 News (UK)

The New Acropolis Museum
Last Modified: 24 Nov 2007
By: Nicholas Glass

A new gallery is built in Athens to display the fabled Elgin marbles, but will the British Museum agree to send them home?

After decades of campaigning to bring home the Elgin Marbles – the Greek authorities have gambled on their return and built a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis, with a custom made gallery to display them.
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Some countries want other nations to place import bans on ancient artefacts to prevent looting. Predictably though, many collectors are strongly against this approach.

From:
Time Magazine Blogs

November 19, 2007 8:58
Can Coin Collectors Make Change?

Three organizations that represent coin collectors and dealers have joined to sue the U.S. State Department in federal court in Washington. Collectors were very put out this summer when State approved a request by Cyprus to ban the import of ancient coins from that island. Italy has made a similar request. Now the collectors want to compel the department to provide documents that would shed light on its decision making.
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An article written about the period when the Elgin Marbles were in Malta en-route to the UK has won an award at the Cultural Heritage Journalist Awards.

From:
Times of Malta

Monday, 19th November 2007
Cultural heritage journalism
Articles about cemetery, Elgin marbles win awards

An article about the Addolorata Cemetery by journalist Julia Farrugia has been awarded the Silver Medal in this year’s Cultural Heritage Journalist Awards.

Ms Farrugia of Illum newspaper secured the prize with the story titled L-Akbar Belt f’Malta – described as a “charming and evocative study of the historic Addolorata Cemetery written in excellent Maltese” by Din l-Art Helwa, organisers of the event.
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Michalis Liapis, the Greek Minister of Culture has stated that his country supports the creation of a common European cultural agenda. A common agenda of this type would help to promote & facilitate co-operation between museums in member states.

From:
Athens News Agency

11/19/2007
Greek culture minister supports European agenda

Greek Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis on Friday said that Athens was in favour of creating a common European agenda for culture during his participation in a meeting of EU culture ministers held in Brussels.

In an announcement issued after the meeting, Liapis stressed that culture should be among the priorities of the European Union and be the object of a coordinated and joint policy by the 27 EU member-states.
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Costas Karamanlis has met with his culture minister for a briefing on the progress of the ongoing transfer of sculptures to the New Acropolis Museum.

From:
Athens News Agency

11/16/2007
Prime minister briefed on progress of new Acropolis Museum

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis met on Thursday with Culture Minister Michalis Liapis, who briefed him on progress in the ongoing transfer of antiquities to the new Acropolis Museum from the old museum atop the Acropolis — a distance of roughly 400 metres — as well as on a ministry draft bill aimed at combatting antiquities smuggling.

Liapis told reporters after the one-hour meeting that Karamanlis will visit the new museum in mid-December.
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