Between 1801 and 1812, Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and the British Ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire, removed sculptures known as the Parthenon Marbles and transported them to England. Subsequently, in 1816, he sold them to the British Museum, where they are currently exhibited and are referred to as The Elgin Marbles. Even at the time of their removal, the Marbles sparked controversy, and concerns regarding their legality were raised.
In 1816, a House of Commons Select Committee conducted an investigation into whether Elgin acquired the marbles lawfully. Elgin asserted that he had obtained authorisation through a firman from the Sultan in July 1801, with the approval of local authorities. Although the committee exonerated Elgin from any wrongdoing, many still viewed the removal as an unjust appropriation. Notably, the philhellene Lord Byron expressed his sentiments:
"Dull is the eye that will not weep to see
Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed
By British hands, which it had best behoved
To guard those relics ne'er to be restored.
Curst be the hour when from their isle they roved,
And once again thy hapless bosom gored,
And snatch'd thy shrinking gods to northern climes abhorred!"
Since then, the removal of the Marbles has remained a source of significant controversy. The first official call for their return came in 1983 when the Greek Government, represented by Melina Mercouri, a renowned actress and Greek Minister of Culture, requested the Elgin Marbles' repatriation to Greece. More recently, the controversy has reignited in a diplomatic dispute between the British and Greek governments, leading to the cancellation of a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
Currently, there are calls for the Marbles to be returned on loan. What is your opinion on what should happen?
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