A part of their advertising campaign for during this summer’s Olympics in Athens, Reebok are creating sculptures of a number of Athletes posed to match the figures depicted in the Parthenon frieze.
It is a shame that this publicity for the frieze manages to completely ignore the division of the sculptures between two countries – a fact that is the only reason that the most people have even heard of the frieze.

From:
The Running Network

Reebok “Freezes” a Moment in Athletic History With Modern-Day Versions of Athens’ Parthenon Friezes
June 28, 2004
From press release

London, UK (June 16, 2004) – To celebrate the Summer Games returning to their ceremonial Athenian home, Reebok will unveil sculptures of several premier athletes in poses reminiscent of the legendary Parthenon Friezes. Some of the most famous works of art, the Friezes were carved in Ancient Greece and adorned the famous Parthenon on the Acropolis. Sculptures of top Olympians Andy Roddick, reigning US Open Champion, Yao Ming, NBA superstar, and Carolina Kluft, World Champion heptathlete, will mirror the famed Parthenon Friezes. The Friezes will be unveiled on August 22nd at a special press event at the Reebok Center in Athens.
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Following the return of the ghost-shirt to the Lakota Sioux Indians a few years ago, another Scottish museum has agreed to return the preserved heads of three Maori warriors to Wellington, New Zealand.

From:
The New Zealand Herald

Maori win return of preserved heads from Scottish museum
24.06.2004
1.00pm – By PAUL KELBIE

The preserved tattooed heads of three Maori warriors which have been hidden away in a Glasgow museum for decades are to be returned to their homeland.

The grisly relics of Britain’s imperial past were kept under lock and key at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
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Ken Livingstone, the current mayor of London, has publicly stated that he backs the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

From:
Macedonian Press Agency

FRIDAY, 25 JUNE 2004
THE MAYOR OF LONDON BACKS THE RETURN OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES TO GREECE
London, 25 June 2004 (14:36 UTC+2)

London’s Mayor Ken Livingston stated, during a special ceremony held in the London City Hall yesterday on the occasion of PASOK President Giorgos Papandreou visit within the framework of the efforts for the promotion of the Olympic Truce, that his views on the issue of the Marbles are very clear, stressing that he believes that it is right for the Parthenon Marbles to return to the place of their heritage.

The Mayor of London expressed certainty that the Athens Olympic Games will enjoy an unbelievable success and stated that he is proud because he will have the chance to represent London in this great event.

A new BBC documentary on Saturday 26th June will take a fresh look at both sides of the case for the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

From:
BBC News

Last Updated: Friday, 25 June, 2004, 17:54 GMT 18:54 UK
The real story of the Elgin Marbles
By James Bregman
BBC News Online entertainment staff

The age-old controversy surrounding the Elgin Marbles is likely to re-emerge this year when the Olympics taking place in Athens.

The marbles – depicting gods, men and monsters – were removed from Athens’ Parthenon in 1811 by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire that controlled Greece at the time.
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Many people will disappointed that the ongoing restoration works to the Athenian Acropolis will miss the completion deadline of the forthcoming Olympics. However, it is far better that the restoration works are carried out correctly & not rushed, rather than artefacts being possibly damaged in the race to give the impression that the works are completed by a specific date (a date that was never known about when the restoration works began).

From:
Reuters

Athens treasures will miss Games deadline
Tue 22 June, 2004 05:02
By Daniel Howden

ATHENS (Reuters) – Visitors to August’s Athens Olympics wanting to see classical treasures such as the temple of Athena Nike or the northern colonnade of the Parthenon will have to make do with buying picture postcards instead.

Construction workers stalk the dusty halls of some of the city’s finest museums while priceless sections of the Acropolis have been dismantled and taken to the cleaners.
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Prompted by the forthcoming Athens Olympics in August, Voice of America has an article on the reasons for & against the return of the Elgin Marbles along with a look at some other similar cases.

From:
Voice Of America

Olympic Controversy: Britain and Greece Spar Over Marbles
Megan Parlen
London
22 Jun 2004, 15:25 UTC

As the summer Olympics in Athens approach, the ongoing campaign by the Greek government for the return of some ancient sculptures held by the British Museum is back in the spotlight. The disagreement over the sculptures is one of many such disputes around the world.

Visitors to the British Museum discuss the controversy, just outside the hall where the sculptures are displayed.
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Robert Bowie Johnson Junior has published a new book about his own interpretation of the meanings behind the Parthenon Sculptures. It is worth noting here, before you read the book, that his views are not generally accepted by most of the archaeologists / classicists. If it is like his other previous books it is an interesting read in parts, but you ought to also read some other books on the meanings of the sculptures to give you a more balanced opinion of the range of possible interpretations.

From:
PR Newswire

New Book Deciphers Meaning of Parthenon Sculptures
Purpose of Athena’s Temple in Athens Understood for First Time in More Than 2,000 Years — Noah Depicted in Ancient Greek Art

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 23 /PRNewswire/ — Visitors to the Parthenon in Athens and to the British Museum in London, where most of the Parthenon sculptures are displayed, can now do more than “ooh” and “aah” at what they see: they can actually understand what the Greeks were telling us about themselves and their history. The newly-released book from Solving Light Books, “The Parthenon Code: Mankind’s History in Marble,” by Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. deciphers the meaning of the sculptures of Athena’s temple, relating their messages to the early events described in Genesis. Read the rest of this entry »

A follow up by the Macedonia Press Agency to Neal Ascherson’s article in the Observer.

From:
Macedonian Press Agency

MONDAY, 21 JUNE 2004
THE EXILE OF THE PARTHENON MARBLES MUST END
Thessaloniki, 21 June 2004 (14:17 UTC+2)

The exile of the Parthenon Marbles must end writes famous Scotch journalist and author Neal Ascherson in an article on the British newspaper “The Observer”.

He underlines that Britain has no arguments to confront Greece’s demand for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.
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Billed as the Female Indiana Jones by her publicists, archaeologist Dorothy King has made a name for herself as a vocal opponent of the campaign to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece. Fortunately there are many prominent figures in the academic world who disagree strongly with her opinions & theories on the subject. Dorothy King’s comments on the sculptures appear in a BBC documentary on the Marbles next weekend.

From:
The Guardian

Marbles expert: Greeks are like abusive parents
Vanessa Thorpe, arts and media correspondent
Sunday June 20, 2004
The Observer

It is Europe’s longest-running cultural heritage dispute, yet the row over the rightful home of the Elgin Marbles is still so hotly contested it will almost qualify as an Olympic sport in Athens this summer.

Undiplomatic comments made by a British archaeologist in a new BBC documentary on the subject will now take the temperature of debate still higher. Dr Dorothy King, a supporter of the British Museum’s position on the ownership of the marbles, has offended members of the Greek community in the UK by comparing the would-be custodians of the Parthenon frieze to abusive parents.
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Neal Ascherson has written a lengthy article in the Observer about the reasons why he believes the Elgin Marbles should be returned. This article is prompted by a new BBC film on the subject to be shown later this week.

From:
The Observer

End the exile
For 300 years we have had the Elgin Marbles, but the case for their return is now unanswerable
Neal Ascherson
Sunday June 20, 2004
The Observer

In August, the Olympic Games begin in Athens. The world will converge on the city crowned by the Parthenon. But the Greeks, hoping against hope, have invited a very special group of guests who will not be coming. The sacred figures of the Elgin Marbles, sawn off the temple by a Scottish nobleman almost 200 years ago, will be staying in the British Museum.

This week, a fair-minded BBC film will examine Lord Elgin and what he did. It will also set out the arguments, some respectable, some disgraceful, which have kept the marbles here in the teeth of generations of Greek – and British – protest. At the Games, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell will meet her opposite number, Costas Karamanlis, who is both minister of culture and the new Prime Minister. It is obvious what he will say to her. It is far from obvious that they will agree.
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A complaint of many visitors to Greece is the awkward opening hours of many of the museums & archaeological sites. During the Olympics, extended opening hours will ensure that these sites will have more visitors than ever before. Many institutions are also stopping charging admission fees for the duration of the games.

From:
Kathimerini English Edition

Tuesday June 15, 2004
Museums, art galleries go on Olympic time
Schedules to accommodate the Games
Museums, archaeological sites, galleries and other cultural institutions are modifying opening times during the upcoming Olympic Games. The Benaki Museum (above) will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
By Dimitris Rigopoulos – Kathimerini

It is a well-known fact that August’s Olympic Games will impose an entirely different atmosphere on Athens, which will affect all activities. Under the circumstances, the city’s cultural life cannot be considered exempt.
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