Comments on: Spurious arguments about the Elgin Marbles

By: Antonis Deves

Antonis Deves — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:47:51 +0000

The British Museum’s hesitation to return the Parthenon Marbles to its rightful home in Athens is well understood. Such an act, although deriving from national integrity and intelectual pride could be interpeted for what Britain is mostly afraid of, the traditional looting and plundering of the British Empire during its hey day. It is very ironic that objects of art and culture which are excibited in the British Museum and, as the author of the article proclaims ” are viewed from the rest of the world” have so little to do, if anything at all with British culture and history. I will not attempt to obtain a list as they are already known. Greece, throughout it long history had many unwanted visitors. Some stayed for a while and some others much longer than anticipated. At the end they all got away, always taking something with them either big or small. Elgin was not different. He show the opportunity and taking advantage of the ignorance of the uneducated and careless Ottomans “purchased” a piece of history, hacked it, packed it and took it back home. Finding himself in bankrupcy, he sold the stolen atrifacts to the British Museum. Simply an act of a thief. British officials should do themselves a favour and exchibit their integrity (if any) by doing what is right. Their traditional hypocritism and manipulation of facts is getting a little too old.

By: Dr Selby Whittingham

Dr Selby Whittingham — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:39:15 +0000

To say that Britain cannot legally return the Marbles is silly and untrue, and also a very old argument. It is also untrue that the demand for their return was all got up by Melina Mercouri. I concluded that was the best outcome before she had ever pronounced on the matter.

By: DR. KWAME OPOKU

DR. KWAME OPOKU — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10:28 +0000

RICHARD DORMENT’S ABRASIVE COMMENTS ON THE NEW ACROPOLIS MUSEUM AND THE PARTHENON MARBLES
“The Elgin Marbles will never return to Athens – the British Museum is their rightful home”
I do not want to oppose prophecy with counter-prophecy and predict that the Parthenon/Elgin Marbles will one day return to Greece. Winston Churchill had wanted to hand the Marbles to the Greeks after the last World War ( 0 and David Owen, as British Foreign Secretary had also made a promise to return them. The United Nations, UNESCO and several international conferences have called for their return to Athens. One day the British Government will listen to the voice of the British people who have in many public opinion polls voted massively in favour of return.
“The Greeks should erect a statue of Lord Elgin near the Parthenon to express their nation’s gratitude to him for saving the Marbles.”
This cannot be seriously meant by Dorment and so we will not comment on it.
“Let’s review the facts. Lord Elgin paid the enormous sum of £39,000 to acquire the marbles, and was careful to obtain documents from the Turkish Government approving their removal from Greece, which had then been part of the Ottoman Empire for 350 years”.
Has Dorment or anyone seen the legal documents alleged to have authorised Elgin to remove the Marbles from Athens?
“What those calling for the return of the marbles can’t seem to get through their heads is that, even if it wished to, the British Government cannot simply transfer their ownership to another European state. Objects in our national museums belong in law not to parliament but to their trustees. “
Dorment should not that trustees are not the owners of what they are entrusted with. They have certain powers and obligations but they are clearly not the owners. The Director of the British Museum who has been busy proclaiming that the objects in his museum belong to the whole world will be amazed to read this.

“Let the new museum stand as a monument to the futility of cultural nationalism — in this case trying to claim back something that by now belongs to the whole world.”
Dorment seems to see only the nationalism of the Greeks. What about the nationalism of the British?
It seems the new Acropolis Museum is making a lot of people so dizzy that they can neither follow facts nor the logic of the relations between Britain and Greece on this matter.

Kwame Opoku.

By: IOANNIS HATZITHEODOROU

IOANNIS HATZITHEODOROU — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:18:29 +0000

BUYING A NATION’S CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC TREASURES FROM ITS INVADERS SEEMS HARDLY ETHICAL OR EVEN LEGAL TO ME.

IT MIGHT BE REGARDED AS BUYING THE PRODUCTS OF THEFT.

IT ALSO RESEMBLES ADOPTING A CHILD WHEN THE REAL PARENTS HAVE BEEN LOST, AND NOT RENDERING IT BACK WHEN THEY ARE FOUND.

AND CERTAINLY GREECE’S ARTISTIC (AND ALL OTHER) MASTERPIECES ‘BELONG’ TO THE WORLD, BUT ALSO CERTAINLY, IN THE CASE OF THINGS HAVING A PHYSICAL DIMENSION, LIKE STATUES OR BUILDINGS, THERE IS AN ISSUE OF OWNERSHIP. A LEGITIMATE WAY FOR GREECE TO LOSE THIS KIND OF OWNERSHIP WOULD BE FOR A SOVEREIGN GREEK STATE TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY THESE OBJECTS.

I WONDER HOW THE BRITISH WOULD FEEL IF, IN ORDER TO SEE THE CROWN JEWELS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL TO ATHENS.

I THINK I WOULD BE ASHAMED OF MY COUNTRY IF ITS MUSEUMS (AND ESPECIALLY THE NATIONAL MUSEUM) HOSTED MOSTLY WORKS OF ART OF OTHER NATIONS, AND ESPECIALLY NATIONS NOW EXISTING AND FORMULATED IN SOVEREIGN STATES.

AND OF COURSE, I WOULD SUPPORT THE IDEA OF ALL SUCH TREASURES WHICH HAVE IN EFFECT BEEN TAKEN BY FORCE FROM THEIR ‘BIRTHPLACES’ TO BE RENDERED BACK, PROVIDED THE NATIONS WHO CREATED THEM DO WANT THEM BACK.

THERE MAY BE ISSUES AS TO HOW THE ABOVE COULD BE EFFECTED, BUT I THINK THERE IS STRONG POINT TO THE ABOVE RATIONALE.

THANK YOU,
I. HATZITHEODOROU