The Elgin Marbles are a collection of 17 sculptures that are 2,500 years old and were removed from the Parthenon temple by Lord Elgin in 1801.

The British Museum has had the marbles since 1816, after they were sold to the British government with Ottoman approval.

Greece has been seeking the return of the Elgin Marbles since it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832, with the Greek government viewing the marbles as looted treasures and part of their national heritage.

The UNESCO committee has ruled in favor of returning the marbles to Greece, and over half of British people support their return.

The British Museum has a poor record of keeping track of its artifacts, with 2,000 items stolen over time, which may prevent the recovery of stolen items.

In recent years, the British Museum's Parthenon gallery has suffered from water leaks, which damaged the gallery in 2018 and 2021.

Despite this, the British Museum is considering repatriating the marbles to Greece, with the Acropolis Museum expected to display the Parthenon Marbles upon their return.

Greece has been demanding the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum, with the Greek Prime Minister meeting with UK leaders to discuss the issue.

The UK government has been discussing blocking the export of the Elgin Marbles, while other countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia are also demanding the return of cultural relics from the British Museum.

The British Museum has been open to the idea of a "cultural exchange" loan deal with Greece, which would involve exchanging the marbles for other Greek treasures.

However, the British Museum's ability to return the marbles is limited by a 1963 Act, which stops the museum from returning the sculptures.

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has expressed support for a potential loan deal, while the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has been skeptical of the idea.

George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, has been involved in secret talks with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to discuss a potential agreement.

The Elgin Marbles are a huge UK asset, but many people believe they should be returned to Greece, with Stephen Fry being one of the notable supporters of their return.

The British Museum's trustees own the sculptures, and the museum has been displaying them since 1816, but the Greek government describes their removal as "a blatant continuous theft".

The UK and Greece have a long-standing dispute over the ownership of the Elgin Marbles, with the British Museum refusing to return them permanently.

The British Museum has offered a long-term loan of the stone sculptures to Greece, but Greece has rejected the proposal due to the ownership conditions.

The Greek government has been seeking the reunification of the Elgin Marbles, which are currently displayed mostly in London.

The UK government has refused to return the Elgin Marbles, with Boris Johnson ruling out their return.

The British Museum Act of 1963 prohibits the return of the Elgin Marbles, but the museum can lend them to other institutions.

Most people believe that the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece, and the British Museum's decision to keep them has been widely criticized.

The UNESCO Convention of 1970 governs cultural artifact repatriation, which is relevant to the Elgin Marbles case.

The Paris Convention prohibits illicit import and export of cultural property, and was signed by UNESCO in 1970 with 143 nations endorsing it.

The British Museum's possession of the Elgin Marbles is a subject of dispute, with Greece claiming they were removed illegally.

Greece has been trying to recover the Elgin Marbles, which are currently held by the British Museum.

The UK argues that Lord Elgin had permission from the Ottoman rulers to remove the Marbles.

The British Museum Act 1963 prohibits the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

UNESCO has laws governing cultural artifact repatriation, but the British claim to the Elgin Marbles is upheld under current international law.

The concept of cultural heritage can be used to facilitate the return of cultural artifacts, as it entails collective ownership rather than individual ownership.

The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee promotes the return of cultural property, and has ruled in favor of the restitution of works illegally removed.

The UK Government cannot intervene in the British Museum's affairs, and existing legislation makes it illegal to give away treasures.

Greece has offered to loan historical treasures to the British Museum in exchange for the Elgin Marbles.

The Acropolis Museum is considered a suitable location for the display of the Parthenon Marbles.

The British Museum has proposed an agreement to lease the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, but Greece denies recognizing the British Museum's jurisdiction over the sculptures.

International cooperation is necessary to protect cultural heritage and prevent looting, and the G20 can facilitate consensus on repatriation of cultural artifacts among member nations.

The Elgin Marbles are 2,500-year-old sculptures taken from the Parthenon Temple in Athens, and their conservation and restoration needs are a crucial aspect of the repatriation process.

The British Museum's poor record keeping may prevent the recovery of stolen artefacts, including the Elgin Marbles, which could impact their conservation and restoration.

Water leaks have damaged the British Museum's Parthenon gallery, which houses the Elgin Marbles, highlighting the need for proper conservation and restoration measures.

The Acropolis Museum is considered a suitable location for displaying the Parthenon Marbles, and it may also play a role in their conservation and restoration.

A cultural exchange agreement has been proposed as a potential solution for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

The return of a Parthenon fragment from Italy to Greece has symbolic value and may put pressure on the UK to return the Elgin Marbles, but it does not provide specific information on their conservation and restoration needs.

The Greek Culture Minister has demanded the return of the Elgin Marbles due to security issues, which could be related to their conservation and restoration.

Security issues have reinforced Greece's demand for the return of the Elgin Marbles, but the specific conservation and restoration needs are not mentioned.

The Elgin Marbles are 17 sculptures that make up half of the Parthenon Temple frieze, and their conservation and restoration require specialized care.

A piece of the frieze was returned to Athens from Italy in 2022, which may have involved conservation and restoration efforts, but the details are not provided.

The UK considers the Elgin Marbles national property and has a legal ban on dismantling the collection, which could impact their conservation and restoration during repatriation.

The British Museum has a huge collection, including the Elgin Marbles, and the UK is wary of setting a precedent for returning looted items, which could affect their conservation and restoration.

A loan deal has been proposed to return the sculptures to Athens, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

George Osborne backs a loan deal with Greece, which may involve conservation and restoration efforts, but the details are not specified.

The UK government has no plans to change the law that protects the Elgin Marbles, which could impact their conservation and restoration during repatriation.

The sculptures are protected by law in the UK, and their conservation and restoration require careful consideration.

The British Museum houses the sculptures in a dedicated room, which may have climate-controlled conditions for conservation and restoration.

No clear plan for conservation during the repatriation process has been announced, which is a concern for the preservation of the Elgin Marbles.

The Elgin Marbles were taken from the Parthenon in 1802 by Lord Elgin, and their removal may have caused damage that requires conservation and restoration.

Greece has called for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles for over 200 years, and their conservation and restoration are essential for their preservation.

The British Museum houses 15 metopes and 17 pedimental figures, which require specialized conservation and restoration care.

Only 50 meters of the original frieze remain in Athens, and the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles are crucial for the completion of the frieze.

The British Museum cannot return the Elgin Marbles due to regulations, which may impact their conservation and restoration.

The UK has no plans to change regulations on museum collections, which could affect the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles during repatriation.

A long-term cultural partnership may facilitate the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

The UK shares museum treasures with the world, but the conservation and restoration needs of the Elgin Marbles are not specified.

Repatriation talks between the British Museum and the Greek prime minister have been ongoing for months, which may include discussions on the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles.

The Elgin Marbles are to be returned to Greece, but the specific conservation and restoration needs and how they will be addressed during the repatriation process are not mentioned.

The Vatican has returned three Parthenon fragments to Greece, which could set a precedent for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles.

Ancient artefacts have been repatriated to Greece after a 17-year battle, which demonstrates the possibility of resolving

The Elgin Marbles are a collection of 17 sculptures that are 2,500 years old and were removed from the Parthenon temple by Lord Elgin in 1801.

Title:

Content: LONDON (Reuters) - The historic Greek treasure of Elgin Marbles is nearing its return to its country of origin, 200 years after it was moved and ended up in the British Museum.
The Parthenon marble, seen as a symbol of freedom in Greece, was controversially moved out of the country by a British diplomat in a move that ignited a debate that lasted more than two centuries.
Greece has made repeated requests for the sculptures to be returned after they were controversially removed from one of the world ’ s most historic landmarks.
Prime Minister Rishi Sonak had been scheduled to meet his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, but Downing Street canceled the arrangement and sent Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Duden instead.
The head of the British Museum, former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne, is pushing for a temporary loan to be returned to Greece, and is believed to have drawn up a deal.
But both Sonak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer say they will not support a change to the British Museum law that currently bars their return.
The museum said it was continuing "constructive discussions" about their possible return.
Gin Marble
The Algin marble is 17 sculptures that are 2,500 years old.
His pieces were part of a frieze that adorned the ancient Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
The marbles make up about half of the 160-meter-long frieze of the Parthenon Temple, which is considered one of the greatest cultural monuments in the world.
These sculptures are seen as symbols of freedom in Greece, where they are known as Parthenon marble.
British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the sculptures from the majestic Parthenon temple in the early 19th century.
At that time, he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Greece.
Beginning in 1801, Lord Elgin is said to have supervised the removal of the marble and shipped it to the UK in 170 boxes.
He is said to have claimed to have obtained permission from the Ottoman Empire to move the marble, but despite massive documentation from that period, nothing was found to support his actions.
In the United Kingdom, Lord Elgin received support and criticism, and sold it to the United Kingdom government in 1816 before the marble was transferred to the custody of the British Museum.
The beginning and evolution of the dispute
The controversy between Greece and Britain can be traced back to when the marble first arrived in Britain due to criticism of its removal.
In 1832, Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire before it began trying to recover sculptures and other works of art taken from the country.
In the early 1980s, the actress and then Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercury, reignited the campaign when she made it her mission to secure the return of marble sculptures.
In 1983, she met with the director of the British Museum, Dr. David Wilson, in London to demand the return of the sculptures.
She continued to press the museum and the British government until her death in 1994.
Despite other requests and high-level media coverage, no agreement was reached in the years that followed.
A new campaign
In 2009, Greece stepped up its marble recovery campaign after opening a new museum at the foot of the Acropolis Hill, hoping one day to house it.
In 2014, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney called on Britain to start talks with Greece over the return of the Elgin marble.
The lawyer, who is the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, said: "This is an injustice that has been going on for a long time, in a world full of intractable conflicts."
In 2015, Greece ruled out any legal action against the UK over Elgin Marbles.
In May 2022, the so-called Fagan fragment — a piece showing the foot of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis seated — was permanently returned to Athens from a museum in Italy.
It was originally part of the eastern frieze of the temple dating back to the 5th century BC.
The British reaction
In 2022, there were calls to make it easier for UK museums to consider returning cultural objects, but the government rejected them.
Former Conservative culture minister Lord Vaizi also headed a new body aimed at returning Elgin marble to Greece.
The refusal came after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Greek prime minister during talks at Downing Street in 2021 that the sculpture issue was "a matter for the curators of the British Museum".
Then, at the beginning of December, George Osborne, the head of the British Museum, reportedly held secret talks with the Greek prime minister about the possibility of returning the marble sculptures.
Negotiations between former Treasury Secretary Osborne and Kiriakos Mitsotakis have been taking place in London since November 2021, according to the Greek daily Ta Nea.
The Greek prime minister has on numerous occasions called for the relocation of the sculptures, and even offered to lend other treasures to the British Museum in return.
A spokesman for Project Parthenon, a campaign advocating the return of marble sculptures, hailed the talks as a “positive sign ” that a“ win-win solution ” to the centuries-old debate could be reached.
Possible deal?
In December last year, Downing Street said there were no plans to change the law that prohibits the museum from disposing of objects in its collection except in very limited circumstances.
A spokesman for the prime minister said: “The Parthenon sculptures are legally owned by trustees and are practically independent of the government. ”
Last month, the British Museum issued a statement saying it would not dismantle its collection “because it tells a unique story of our common humanity, ” but added that it wanted to forge a new“ Parthenon partnership ” with Greece.
The talks in Westminster were used by former culture minister Lord Vaizi to press again for the return of the sculptures.
He said that the frieze in Athens "resembles a film that was cut in half and half of it was moved against the will of its owners to another country."
After cancelling the bilateral meeting between Sonak and Mitsotakis on Tuesday, the Greek leader said he was "disappointed".
Mr Sonak said the UK “has no plans to change our approach ” but“ did not ask him [Mr Mitsotakis] what short-term or new ideas have been put forward ”.
Starmer and Mitsotakis Meet
Opposition Labour leader Sir Kiir Starmer met Mitsotakis on Monday.
A source close to Labour leader Sir Kiir Starmer told the Financial Times he was unlikely to change the law if he won the next election.
"We are committed to the current law, but if a mutually acceptable loan deal can be agreed between the British Museum and the Greek government, we will not stand in the way."
Is the agreement possible?
The head of the National Museum, George Osborne, is understood to have drawn up a deal with Athens, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Current legislation bars the museum from legally granting treasures, but Osborne is said to be seeking to repatriate the antiquities as part of a long-term "cultural exchange."
But this loan deal is not expected to permanently end the long-running dispute.
The article was prepared from the site of (Sky News) British channel:
https: / / news.sky.com / story / elgin-marbles-what-are-they-and-how-did-they-end-up-in-the-british-museum-12779617

The British Museum has had the marbles since 1816, after they were sold to the British government with Ottoman approval.

Title:

Content: Opinion

Bring them home

At the end of August, it was reported that around 2,000 artefacts, including gold jewellery and gems, had been stolen from the British Museum over a long period of time.

Chairman of the trustees, George Osborne acknowledged that the museum’s reputation has suffered as a result of its mishandling of the thefts, which sparked outrage after it was revealed that most of the stolen antiquities may never be recovered due to the museum’s poor record keeping, raising questions about security and leadership.

For decades, the British Museum has argued that the Parthenon Marbles should not be returned to Greece since the country lacks a suitable location for their display.

The Acropolis Museum, on the other hand, has solidified its place among the world’s top ten best museums and is the go-to museum in Athens where one can readily understand why Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization. So, why not return the Parthenon marbles to their rightful home, and how did they end up in the British Museum in the first place?

In the early 1800s, when British aristocrat Lord Elgin sailed home from Greece, he also shipped to England some of the greatest treasures of antiquity, which included a collection of Greek statues and carved frieze panels that once decorated the Parthenon in Athens.

The so-called Elgin Marbles were later sold to the British government with the approval of the Ottomans who ruled Greece at the time and became the most storied artefacts in the British Museum’s collection. They also became the subject of perhaps the world’s most notorious cultural dispute.

The British maintain that the marbles were legally acquired and they belong in a universal museum alongside other artefacts, excluding the 2,000 that were now reportedly stolen. The Greeks, on the other hand, view them as looted treasures that form the cornerstone of their national heritage.

For decades, the issue of the Parthenon Marbles has been on the agenda of the Unesco Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property (ICPRCP). In fact, it was Melina Mercouri, the Greek Minister of Culture at the time, who raised the matter of their return during the 1982 Unesco World Conference.

Although the forum ruled in favour of the cause, stating that restitution of works illegally removed from their countries of origin is a fundamental principle of people-to-people cultural relations, Mercouri’s British counterpart responded that the UK Government “could not intervene in the affairs of a private establishment like the British Museum.”

While efforts are underway to retrieve the stolen antiquities, the British Museum’s collections may never be recovered because the museum’s records only identify the collection as a whole and fail to list the individual pieces.

This is not the first time the museum’s image as a safe keeper of global treasures has been called into doubt. The poor condition of the British Museum’s western block has been recorded numerous times. Images of water leaking into the Parthenon gallery were broadcast on Greek television in 2018, resulting from a cracked glass ceiling pane. Although the glass was replaced with new fixings and no sculptures were destroyed, a leaking roof in 2021 resulted in water seeping through, once again, delaying the reopening of the Greek galleries following the pandemic.

The British Museum claimed that none of the statues had been damaged and the issue was addressed. However, for Greece, these events demonstrate that the British Museum is failing to care for the Parthenon Marbles, reinforcing the country’s legitimate claim that the sculptures be permanently returned to Athens.

Earlier this year, the British Museum moved closer to a landmark agreement with Athens that could result in the return of the marbles. Although existing legislation makes it illegal to give away treasures, Osborne is reportedly seeking to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles as part of a cultural exchange that would see other Greek antiques displayed at the British Museum. Over half of the British people support their repatriation to Greece.

Hundreds of statues from the Archaic and Classical periods can be found at the ultramodern Acropolis Museum. The top level is the museum’s showcase, which provides a visual link to the Acropolis and allows visitors to view both the monument and its sculptures. The majority of the Parthenon Marbles will be displayed there upon their anticipated return.

The Parthenon Sculptures were made in Greece by Greeks to honour the glory of Greece. They represent millions of people’s cultural identities. Greece is their true home. It is where they belong.

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Greece has been seeking the return of the Elgin Marbles since it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832, with the Greek government viewing the marbles as looted treasures and part of their national heritage.

The UNESCO committee has ruled in favor of returning the marbles to Greece, and over half of British people support their return.

The British Museum has a poor record of keeping track of its artifacts, with 2,000 items stolen over time, which may prevent the recovery of stolen items.

In recent years, the British Museum's Parthenon gallery has suffered from water leaks, which damaged the gallery in 2018 and 2021.

Despite this, the British Museum is considering repatriating the marbles to Greece, with the Acropolis Museum expected to display the Parthenon Marbles upon their return.

Greece has been demanding the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum, with the Greek Prime Minister meeting with UK leaders to discuss the issue.

Title:

Content: Explainer

Beyond the Elgin Marbles: Which other famous artefacts has the UK been urged to give back?

British museums are bulging with items taken from other countries with - or in many cases without - permission. Greece has made high-profile demands for the return of the Elgin Marbles. Sky News looks at some of the other countries calling for the UK to hand back precious items.

Why you can trust Sky News

Greece has long called for Britain to hand back the Elgin Marbles - 17 sculptures controversially removed from the ancient Parthenon temple 200 years ago.

UK officials have discussed legal ways they could block any export of the sculptures, Sky News understands, as Downing Street cancelled a meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Greek counterpart.

But Greece is not alone in demanding the return of artefacts held by British museums.

Here, Sky News looks at some of the other countries calling for the UK to hand back precious items.

Benin Bronzes - Nigeria

Nigeria has called for the return of the Benin Bronzes - and renewed its demand after it emerged earlier this year that 2,000 artefacts had been stolen from the British Museum.

The artefacts, which date back as far as the 16th century, were taken from Benin City after British forces invaded the Kingdom in modern day Nigeria in 1897.

"They are the subject of loot. They were illegally taken out of the country," said Abba Isa Tijani, director of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, speaking to Sky News in August.

"It is irrespective whether they are safe there. That is not an issue. The issue is that these are stolen artefacts, and they should be returned to Nigeria to the communities that they belong to."

Mold gold cape and Moel Hebog shield - Wales

Thefts at the British Museum also prompted demands for Welsh artefacts to be returned to Wales.

The Mold gold cape, which is around 4,000 years old, and the Moel Hebog shield, thought to be from between the 12th and 10th centuries BC, were among the items in the museum's collection with a Welsh connection.

Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the argument that items were safer in London "no longer holds water".

She added: "These items belong to everyone but they belong especially to us in Wales and we have the means for them to play a part in the way we interpret our history."

The Rosetta Stone - Egypt

Egypt petitioned for the return of the Rosetta Stone, saying the "key to the decipherment of hieroglyphs is an icon of our Egyptian identity".

The demand for the British Museum to hand back the artefact, which was taken by the British in 1801 after being uncovered by the French, gained more than 200,000 signatures.

The Maqdala collection - Ethiopia

Crosses, religious texts and a shield were among the items of the Maqdala collection returned to Ethiopia in 2021.

But more artefacts looted by British soldiers during the Battle of Maqdala in 1868 remain in British museums.

Receiving the items, Ethiopia's ambassador to the UK ambassador, Teferi Melesse Desta said: "To honour the memory of Maqdala, I once again renew the calls made by countless Ethiopians before me for museums, collectors and holders of Maqdala heritage to return [these items].

"It is my hope that in the Maqdala returns to come, the relations between our two nations and people can deepen and grow from strength to strength."

Hoa Hakananai'a sculpture - Easter Island/Rapa Nui

In 2018, a delegation from Easter Island asked the British Museum to return a seven-foot tall basalt sculpture known as Hoa Hakananai'a, which means "the stolen or hidden friend" in the Rapa Nui language.

It is believed to date from around 1200 AD. It was removed from the island in 1868 and given as a gift to Queen Victoria.

"This is no rock," Carlos Edmunds, president of the Council of Elders, told the Guardian. "It embodies the spirit of an ancestor, almost like a grandfather. This is what we want returned to our island - not just a statue."

Items from Omdurman battlefield - Sudan

Sudan has demanded the return of artefacts and body parts taken by British soldiers at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.

Two skulls, a banner and a suit of armour were among the items Sudan want returned.

Cultural relics - China

China joined demands for the return of artefacts after the British Museum theft scandal with an editorial in state-run newspaper The Global Times.

It said there were 23,000 Chinese cultural items in the museum's collection, including statues, bronzes, scrolls "and other extremely valuable national treasures".

"It's difficult to trace how exactly China lost them to the British Museum, but most Chinese collections were certainly looted or stolen by Britain when it created and later took advantage of China's crisis, or even directly robbed China," the editorial said.

"As long as Britain cannot prove which collection was acquired legally and honestly, then the mother country of these collections has the right to seek their repatriation."

Read more:
What are the Elgin Marbles?
British Museum reveals types of items believed to have been stolen

Neanderthal skulls - Gibraltar

In 2018, Gibraltar asked for the return of two Neanderthal skulls display at the Natural History Museum.

The skulls, belonging to an adult woman and a child, are the "best-studied human fossils in the world", according to the Natural History Museum.

"It is only right that such significant items come back home where they will be cherished and well looked after," Gibraltar's minister for heritage said at the time.

The UK government has been discussing blocking the export of the Elgin Marbles, while other countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia are also demanding the return of cultural relics from the British Museum.

The British Museum has been open to the idea of a "cultural exchange" loan deal with Greece, which would involve exchanging the marbles for other Greek treasures.

However, the British Museum's ability to return the marbles is limited by a 1963 Act, which stops the museum from returning the sculptures.

Title:

Content: Greek premier to meet Starmer and Sunak in renewed push to return Elgin marbles

Kyriakos Mitsotakis due to meet Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in London next week

Matt Mathers
Saturday 25 November 2023 23:43
Comments
Elgin Marbles: British Museum lends statue

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to raise the issue of the Parthenon sculptures with the UK next week.

He is reportedly due to hold talks with Labour leader Keir Starmer on Monday and prime minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday and will raise the subject with both.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Starmer was open to a potential loan deal that would see parts of the ancient sculptures returned. Labour declined to comment.

The 2,500-year-old sculptures, also known as the Eglin Marbles, were taken from Athens to Britain by agents of Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Eglin, in the early 19th century and never returned. Greece says they were stolen, sparking a bitter and long-running dispute with the UK.

Housed in their own dedicated room, the sculptures of Olympian gods and goddesses, centaurs and warriors are among the greatest at the British Museum.

A 1963 Act of Parliament stops the British Museum from permanently handing them back.

George Osborne, the museum’s chair and the former Conservative Party MP and chancellor, has backed a loan deal.

“I hope we’ll find a way to partner with Greece so that a portion of the Marbles spend part of their time in Athens . . . and we see more of their treasures in return,” he wrote in The Spectator last week. Mr Osborne conceded that “we may well not succeed” but that it was “surely worth the effort”.

The proposed deal, which Mr Osborne and Mr Mitsotakis have held secret talks over, would allow the sculptures to return to Athens in exchange for Greek treasures being displayed in London.

Many of the artworks in question are in storage in museum vaults and have never before been seen.

Mr Mitsotakis, who has said it is his “passion” to get the sculptures back, is scheduled to meet both party leaders next week. He intends to raise the issue in both meetings, a person close to him told the FT.

Mr Sunak is said to be not opposed to the idea of a loan deal but sceptical that the sculptures would ever be returned if they were loaned to Greece, according to the paper.

No 10 has been contacted for comment.

A UK government spokesperson told the FT: “The UK has cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations.

“Our galleries and museums are funded by taxpayers because they are a huge asset to this country. “

We share their treasures with the world, and the world comes to the UK to see them. The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change it.”

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The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has expressed support for a potential loan deal, while the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has been skeptical of the idea.

George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, has been involved in secret talks with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to discuss a potential agreement.

The Elgin Marbles are a huge UK asset, but many people believe they should be returned to Greece, with Stephen Fry being one of the notable supporters of their return.

Title:

Content: Stephen Fry calls returning Elgin Marbles to Greece 'A classy thing at last'

THE ELGIN Marbles' return to Greece would be "a classy act" by the UK, says Stephen Fry.

Link copied

UK has 'no obligation' to return Elgin Marbles says Widdecombe

Greece has called for the repatriation of the collection of Elgin Marbles for more than 200 years – ever since they were taken from the Parthenon in 1802 on the order of Lord Elgin, Britain's then-ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Mr Fry, who said he is "very keen" to see the sculptures be returned to Athens, has been the latest to join the debate over the home of the monumental artwork.

The actor and broadcaster suggested the marbles be replaced with a virtual experience.

He stressed that with modern technology the carvings can be replicated using lasers.

He said: "So the British Museum would have a Parthenon experience and you go in and see this fabulous technology using AR helmets or whatever you want to wear and you see how the originals were perfectly reproduced and out in place and you watch them being packed up and put on the train."

The sculptures, which sit at the London-based institution, have not been available to be publicly viewed for nearly a year due to ongoing maintenance work and the coronavirus pandemic.

The British Museum is to reopen its Greek galleries to the public on Monday, December 13.

READ MORE: Boris in lockdown warning: 'Tidal wave' of Omicron to hit UK - PM unveils new jabs plan

Critics argue the Elgin Marbles, which sit at the British Museum, should be repatriated to Greece (Image: Getty)

Mr Fry, 64, said: "I know a lot of people say 'we've looked after them' and it's certainly true we've looked after them, but it would be such a classy act.

"I promise you one million Athenians would come on to the street to welcome them.

"They mean so much to the Greeks, they are part of the nature of what Athens is."

The British Museum houses 15 metopes, 17 pedimental figures and 75 metres of the original frieze.

50 metres remain in Athens and other parts are in museums across Europe.

Comedian Stephen Fry called returning the artwork would be 'a classy act' from Britain's side (Image: Getty)

The sculptures have been a subject of debate ever since the were taken from Greece in 1802 (Image: Getty)

Mr Fry claimed a move such as returning the Elgin Marbles is what the country needs: "There would be a hand-shake ceremony and suddenly people would for once look at Britain and say that was a classy act.

"It would be a classy thing and Britain hasn't done a classy thing for some time."

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking to the FT ahead of a foreign policy trip to the UK last month, said: "If I were in the PM's shoes and I were thinking out of the box in terms of global Britannia, and the idea of Britain really playing a role in the post-Brexit world, [it] would be a fantastic coup for public diplomacy if they were to look at this from a different perspective."

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Kyriakos Mitsotakis advocates for 'reunification' of Elgin Marbles

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged Boris Johnson to return the marbles to Athens (Image: Getty)

Then, during his visit to London, he urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to return the priceless ancient sculptures to Greece, again presenting it as a chance for the UK to strengthen its Global Britain standing.

Mr Johnson has so far not shown signs he intends to return the Elgin Marbles.

Speaking to the Greek paper Ta Nea earlier this year, he claimed: "The UK government has a firm, longstanding position on the sculptures.

"They were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s trustees since their acquisition."

This aligns with the view outlined on the British Museum’s website, which backs Lord Elgin's efforts to bring the marbles to the UK in the early 19th century: "His actions were thoroughly investigated by a parliamentary select committee in 1816 and found to be entirely legal, prior to the sculptures entering the collection of the British Museum by act of parliament."

The British Museum's trustees own the sculptures, and the museum has been displaying them since 1816, but the Greek government describes their removal as "a blatant continuous theft".

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Press Eye / Refusal of the Parthenon Stone Sculpture
“Greek artefacts taken by the British 200 years ago set off a diplomatic storm, ” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was scheduled to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on November 29, but was temporarily canceled on the evening of the 28th.
In view of the long-standing dispute between the two sides over the ownership of the Parthenon marble statue in the British Museum, Greece originally promised not to use the meeting to openly discuss the issue of the ownership of the marble statue, but Mitsotakis described Parthenon as "like cutting the Mona Lisa in half" during his visit to the United Kingdom. Some of the marble statues of the temple are still in London, which displeased Sunak and angered Greece at the cancellation of the meeting.
This diplomatic storm caused the differences between Britain and Greece on the ownership of the marble statue to float on the table again.
The marble statue of the Parthenon temple at the heart of the English dispute, also known in England as "The Elgin Marbles" (The Elgin Marbles), mainly from the Parthenon temple in the Acropolis of Athens, built in the 5th century BC, has a history of more than 2500 years, including some from the Treasury of atreus on Mount Mycenae. More than 3,000 years.
This collection of more than 30 marble statues depicts scenes of Greek history and mythology, originally decorated in temples, including a 75 meter long relief showing the goddess Athena's birthday parade.
In 1801, the statue was shipped to England.
The marble was shipped to England in 1801 by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin of Scotland, from the Acropolis of Athens; regarding the ownership of the stone, the Earl of Elgin insisted that he obtained permission from the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which ruled Greece at the time, to bring the stone to England, but the original of the permission letter he said had been lost, and the British Parliament at that time also gave him permission. The British poet Lord Byron accused the Earl of Elgin of robbery, but the council decided not to prosecute the Earl, and in 1816 the British government bought the statues from the Earl of Elgin and put them on display in the British Museum.
Today, the stone has been one of the most famous exhibits of the British Museum, Greece has been asking the United Kingdom to return the Parthenon marble statue since 1983, and UNESCO has also been involved in coordination with the British and Greek sides on the return of the stone statue at the request of Greece, but to no avail; in 2022, the Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni publicly accused the Earl of Elgin in The removal of the statue of Parthenon by illegal means without "real legal permission" was "a blatant continuous theft".
During Mitsotakis ’ visit to Britain, the two sides are scheduled to discuss diplomatic aspects, including the situation in Gaza, the Russian-Ukrainian war, illegal immigration, and so on; former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who left in mid-November, said during a visit to the Greek island of Samos that Britain has “a lot to learn from Greece ” in dealing with immigration.
The summit has been cancelled due to return issues.
However, the lunch meeting, scheduled for 29 November, was abruptly canceled on the evening of 28 November, and Mitsotakis said that he had hoped to discuss the issue of the Parthenon marble statues in the talks, and that the Greek view of the statues was well known; he also reminded that Greece and Britain had a traditional friendship, which he had hoped to take advantage of. "People who believe they are right and righteous will never be afraid of dissent," he said in a statement.
After the British government confirmed the cancellation of the talks, Mitsotakis proposed to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, but this was rejected.
The office at 10 Downing Street said that Greece had originally promised not to use the meeting as a platform to openly discuss the return of the Parthenon marble statue, but the Greek side broke its promise and therefore believed that the two sides would not have much benefit.
The so-called "breach of promise" refers to Mitsotakis in an interview with the BBC about the Parthenon marble statue, because some of the statues are currently in the Parthenon Temple, and the other part is in the British Museum, Mitsotakis said that the United Kingdom should return the stone statue, and use "like the Mona Lisa cut in half" to describe the situation.
However, the Greek government has denied making such a promise.
The British Labour Party and the Government are in opposition.
The cancellation of the meeting caused concern in the British political and media, the Labour Party said that the decision to cancel the meeting was "deplorable", indicating that the Sunak government was "narrow minded"; the position of the Labour Party on the attribution of the Parthenon marble statue is far from being as strong as the Conservative Party, and the position of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer is that the position of the British Museum and Athens agreed that the statue could be temporarily loaned to Greece, but the Conservatives objected, fearing that if the statue was lent to Greece, it would never be returned to the United Kingdom — the British Museum was banned from disposing of its collections in 1963, so the ownership of the statue was no longer a matter for the British Museum alone, and Sunak had previously made clear that he would never support amending the law.
It is worth noting that Mitsotakis has already met with Scheer, and the Guardian quoted Greek sources as saying that Athens' assessment of the matter may also be one of the reasons why 10 Downing Street is dissatisfied with Mitsotakis, and because the Labour Party is far ahead of the Conservative Party in the polls, there is a great chance of winning the 2024 election again. It will become more and more frequent.
Prior to his meeting with Mitsotakis, Scheer expressed his support for a loan agreement to exchange the Parthenon marble statue with Athens for other ancient Greek artifacts that had not been to Britain for display at the British Museum.
However, Scheer did not intend to discuss the matter publicly, fearing that it would cause voters to resent the Labour Party, and stressed that he was opposed to amending the 1963 law that prevented the British Museum from returning the statue.
In fact, the agreement did not solve the biggest dispute between Greece and Britain over the return of the statue, which is "who exactly belongs to the marble statue of the Parthenon"; Greece naturally wanted to return the title to itself, but even if the agreement could be reached, Britain still considered the statue to be "lent" and the title to the British Museum.
Mitsotakis ’ s trip to Britain ended in haste, returning to Greece early, and both countries are still waiting to see how the dispute should end, but for the British government, which wants to establish stable relations with its European allies after Brexit, the result is clearly contrary to the goal, and in Britain, it is more about the policy differences between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.
A Labour spokesman said: “If the Prime Minister is unable to meet with European allies who have vital economic links with the UK, it is further evidence that he cannot provide the economic leadership our country needs. ”
And the Labour Party, led by Schkeel, is ready. "
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The UK and Greece have a long-standing dispute over the ownership of the Elgin Marbles, with the British Museum refusing to return them permanently.

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Content: People 's Network > > International
These artefacts set off a "war of words" between Greece and Britain
November 30, 2023 09: 14 | Source: Xinhua Network
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Xinhua News Agency, BEIJING, November 29 (Xinhua) -- A war of words between Greece and Britain over the stone carvings of the Parthenon temple of the Acropolis was escalated on the 28th.
The two countries pointed to each other's actions, which led to the leaders' scheduled meeting on the same day.
Greece, Britain blame each other for meeting cancellation
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday.
However, his remarks in an interview with the British media gave Sunak a last-minute break.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Mitsotakis said that the stone carvings of the Parthenon on display at the British Museum "belong to Greece, and it was stolen."
In his view, this is not a dispute over ownership, but a matter of “reunification. ”
Mitsotakis also asked: If the world famous painting Mona Lisa is cut in half and placed in a museum in a different country, will people still appreciate its beauty?
This is a Parthenon marble sculpture taken at the British Museum in London, England, on September 7.
Photo by Xinhua reporter Li Ying
Mitsotakis's remarks caused dissatisfaction with the British side.
Reuters reported on the 28th, citing news from Sunak's office, that the Greek side had previously promised that it would not use Mitsotakis's visit to "re-raise the issue that has been resolved for a long time", that is, the question of the ownership of the stone carvings of the Parthenon Temple.
Sunak's spokesman told reporters that the British side decided to cancel the meeting because the Greek side had "not kept its promise."
Richie Sunak speaks in front of the Prime Minister ’ s House at 10 Downing Street, London, UK, on October 25, 2022.
Photo by Xinhua reporter Li Ying
The BBC quoted a Greek source as saying the Greek side had not made the British commitment.
AFP quoted a Greek government source as saying that the issue of the Parthenon stone carvings was "routinely included in the agenda of the meeting along with other bilateral and international issues" and that "10 Downing Street is aware of this".
Mitsotakis expressed "displeasure" at the British side's temporary cancellation of the meeting and ended his visit to Britain ahead of schedule.
A man visits a Parthenon marble carving at the British Museum in London, UK, on September 7, 2023.
Photo by Xinhua reporter Li Ying
The decision to cancel the meeting has raised questions in the UK.
Former Minister of State for Culture and Digital Economy Ed Weezy, a consultant to the Parthenon Project, told Sky News that the British side's previous position was that the issue of the Parthenon stone carvings should be resolved by the British Museum itself, and that Sunak "did not need" to intervene in this way, which would be detrimental to the relationship between Britain and Greece.
The stalemate between the two sides is difficult to resolve.
Greek Labour and Social Welfare Minister Azzonis Georgiades told the BBC that Mitsotakis's comments about the Parthenon stone carvings were not only personal, but also "the unanimous view of 11 million Greeks", as well as many people around the world.
In the early 19th century, the British diplomat Thomas Bruce, Count of Elgin, obtained "permission" from the authorities in Turkey's Ottoman Greece to cut large numbers of stone carvings from the Parthenon and bring them back to Britain.
The British government later acquired the stone carvings and exhibited them as a collection of the British Museum.
Greece has long demanded that the British Museum permanently return the stone carvings it has collected since 1816, but the British side refused.
Currently, the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum in Greece display different parts of the Parthenon stone sculpture, while the British Museum on display sculpture is called the "Elgin Marble", is the essence of the stone sculpture.
According to AFP, many museums in Western countries, including the British Museum, are under increasing pressure to return cultural relics plundered from other countries.
British law stipulates that the British Museum may not remove the collection from the collection except in certain circumstances, but the law does not prohibit lending.
The British Museum has previously negotiated long-term "loan" of stone sculptures and other plans with Greece.
However, the Greek side does not seem to be able to accept the "loan" proposal.
A spokesman for Mr Sunak said the loan was conditional on Greece accepting the British Museum as the rightful owner. (Reporter: Wang Yijun; video: Tan Ran; editors: Chen Dan, Qiao Ying, Liang Shanggang, Wang Fengfeng)
(Edited by: Cui Ziguo, Cui Yue)
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The British Museum has offered a long-term loan of the stone sculptures to Greece, but Greece has rejected the proposal due to the ownership conditions.

The Greek government has been seeking the reunification of the Elgin Marbles, which are currently displayed mostly in London.

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Greek prime minister tries to broker deal for return of Parthenon marbles

Kyriakos Mitsotakis offers to loan Greek treasures to British Museum if ‘stolen’ sculptures are returned to Acropolis

The Greek prime minister has demanded that the 2,500-year-old Parthenon marbles, which he accuses Britain of stealing, be returned to Greece, and even offered to loan some of his country’s treasures to the British Museum in an attempt to broker a deal.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the Daily Telegraph that the sculptures, also known as the Elgin marbles, belong in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

However, Boris Johnson has previously ruled out returning them on the grounds that they were acquired legally.

Mitsotakis said: “Our position is very clear. The marbles were stolen in the 19th century; they belong in the Acropolis Museum and we need to discuss this issue in earnest.

“I am sure that if there was a willingness on the part of the government to move we could find an arrangement with the British Museum in terms of us sending abroad cultural treasures on loan, which have never left the country.”

The marbles were removed from the Acropolis more than 200 years ago by Lord Elgin in circumstances that have spurred one of the world’s most famous cultural rows and have long been the subject of dispute.

Mitsotakis said he would raise the issue with Johnson when the two meet next week for talks that could shape future relations between the two countries.

“Refusing to discuss the topic seems to me, given the context of everything that has been happening in terms of the return of cultural treasures, to be rather an anachronistic approach,” he added.

“It would be a fantastic statement by what Boris calls Global Britain if they were to move on this and look at it through a completely different lens.”

But Johnson dismissed the appeal for their return to Greece earlier this year, telling the Greek newspaper Ta Nea: “I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed prime minister Mitsotakis – on the issue.

“But the UK government has a firm, longstanding position on the sculptures, which is that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s trustees since their acquisition.”

Greece has long called for the reunification of the sculptures, displayed in museums across Europe but mostly in London, and says it is integral to understanding the artworks in the context of the Acropolis.

The UK government has refused to return the Elgin Marbles, with Boris Johnson ruling out their return.

The British Museum Act of 1963 prohibits the return of the Elgin Marbles, but the museum can lend them to other institutions.

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Send Them Home

The Elgin Marbles, actually the Parthenon Marbles, have been Greek for over two thousand years and still are in every way except location. They were taken, realistically stolen, by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and most people believe should be returned but that is actually illegal under British Museum Act 1963 and offers to ‘lend’ them are insulting.

One of the most obvious concerns that many museums have is that they would be emptied of items that were acquired, a weasel word for stolen, during times when the attitudes were different. Different attitudes do not condone theft.

Let’s return the thefts of the past to their rightful owners and put the past attitudes in the rubbish bin of time.

Dennis Fitzgerald,
Melbourne, Australia

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Most people believe that the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece, and the British Museum's decision to keep them has been widely criticized.

The UNESCO Convention of 1970 governs cultural artifact repatriation, which is relevant to the Elgin Marbles case.

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Site Management
Embodying the commitments of the President of the Republic in the promotion of national culture
Algerian heritage tops official agendas and partnership agreements on the horizon
Mahmoud Bin Shaaban
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ’ s classification of Rai music on the list of the intangible world heritage of humanity has drawn attention to the efforts made by the Algerian authorities to protect the Algerian heritage.
This reflects the great importance attached by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, through the plan of action of the government, to strengthen the status of Algerian heritage, which now counts 09 elements included in the UNESCO list, such as Ahlil Qourara, Tlemcen, Sabiba, Saba, the riding of the sons of Sidi Sheikh, along with the amzad, couscous, the Arabic calligraphy and the Arabic calligraphy and rae.
The Ministry of Culture and Arts implemented the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Algeria and the United States of America, on August 15, 2019 in Washington, on the imposition of restrictions on the import of certain cultural property, which came in the context of the UNESCO Convention of 1970.
The Ministry of Culture and Arts launched on May 9 the design of a photographic guide, including a digital database, on the various cultural properties most vulnerable to theft, smuggling and illicit trafficking across the entire national territory. In this regard, the Ministry of Culture recently organized an interactive seminar on “The Role of Law in the Protection of Cultural Heritage ”, in the presence of executives from the Ministry of Justice, the National Gendarmerie, National Security, Customs, and the Culture and Arts Sector.
This is in order to continue joint work in the search for ways and means necessary to preserve and value cultural heritage, in addition to addressing mechanisms for the transfer of cultural property to its country of origin, through the application and maintenance of laws that preserve cultural heritage data, based on the experience of researchers in training and digitization that controls smuggling and illicit trafficking, as well as the legal basis to be followed, in order to recover undocumented artifacts looted. UNESCO Convention of 1970, with emphasis on the need to enact new legislation for the preservation of cultural property.
This is by strengthening the agreements of understanding with new laws that preserve the property rights of cultural heritage.
A few days ago, Algeria hosted the seventh meeting of the Observatory of Architectural and Urban Heritage in the Arab World, held by the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), bringing together various Arab countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen.
The Minister of Culture and Arts stressed the importance attached by the President of the Republic to this meeting as a continuation of the 31st Summit of the League of Arab States, which was hosted by Algeria at the beginning of last November, pointing to the role of the meeting, which is part of Arab efforts to consult in everything that would identify the architectural and urban cultural heritage and discuss ways to preserve and protect it in order to face the challenges imposed at all regional and international levels.
The meeting approved a series of items, such as the interpretive regulation of the Charter for the Preservation and Development of Urban Heritage in the Arab States, in addition to the guiding framework of the Arab Urban Heritage Register, a review of the nomination file for the Arab Urban Heritage Register and the draft rules of procedure of the Observatory, as well as the nomination form for the Arab Urban Heritage Register.
Algeria also reviewed some of the measures taken by the Algerian Government to preserve the architectural heritage through the strengthening of its legislative system, defined by the law on the protection of cultural heritage in force since 1998, with another draft law on the use of public property, which increases penalties for any infringement of cultural heritage. Classified as national heritage, along with the approval of the conservation sectors; 22 ancient cities have been classified in many of the provinces of the country, and their operation, exploitation and preparation are subject to strict conditions, set by the Ministry of Culture and Arts, and committed by local communities, replacing the established reconstruction mechanisms for unprotected properties.
The various meetings and meetings held by the culture sector hardly fail to discuss the subject of cultural heritage and its protection as a key element in cooperation agreements with Western countries, such as the Algerian-Czech working meeting, during which the Minister of Culture and Arts, Souria Mologhi, addressed the prospects and projects related to cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of cultural heritage. From the province of Oran, through the restoration of archaeological collections at the National Museum “Ahmed Zabaneh ”.
For the purpose of benefiting from Czech expertise in the field of restoration and preservation of cultural heritage.
In this regard, a committee will be established to follow up the completion of this project, which will see the visit of a group of Czech experts in the beginning of 2023, as well as an agreement with the Czech Embassy on the restoration of art sculptures threatened with collapse in the regional theater in Oran, which is an architectural symbol of this cultural facility classified as a national heritage. And related to the archaeological site “Tidis ” in the state of Constantine.
This agreement aims at cooperation between the two institutions, to carry out studies, form scientific research and exchange visits to specialists and students in this field.
In the same context, the Czech side, within the framework of the cooperation project between the National Public Museum of the state of Setif and the National Museum in Prague, expressed its desire to start the restoration of a collection of iron and bronze artifacts at the level of the National Public Museum in Setif, and the formation of frames from the museum for two weeks, at the National Museum of Prague.
In the field of training, cooperation will be established between the Higher National School for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property of the State of Tipaza and the Czech University of Pardubis in the field of training, research and exchange of visits by professors and students in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
Preparations will also begin for the organization of a forum on the “management of heritage ” between the National Institute of Czech Heritage and the school, before April 2023, as well as the establishment of a partnership and cooperation between the Higher School of Fine Arts of Algeria and its Czech counterpart, which will last for three years.
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The Paris Convention prohibits illicit import and export of cultural property, and was signed by UNESCO in 1970 with 143 nations endorsing it.

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Content: Why we need a G20 League of Looted Nations to take on the museums

As G20 has members from both sides — the looted and the looters — there is a wonderful opportunity to form an official consensus regarding fast repatriation of items of invaluable cultural significance. Pooling information and devising mechanisms that can cut red-tape would be a huge achievement

Reshmi Dasgupta May 18, 2023 21:27:30 IST

Replica of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ aiva

When it comes to looted antiquities, it is not often that the looters and the looted gather in the same forum. The G20 is one such, and serendipitously India — one of the most looted — is the chair this year. China, another nation whose treasures repose in museums around the world, is also a member. And despite the ongoing froideur over borders and other issues, looted antiquities is one point on which they cannot but agree. Is it not time, then, for a bold new initiative?

It could be called the League of Looted Nations. And given the widespread belief that the United Nations is now just a tax-free sinecure rather than a body that makes a real difference anymore, India’s move for a consensus on repatriation of important items of cultural heritage to the countries they belong to could be just what is needed. More so as repositories of these treasures — whether publicly or privately owned — have been able to fob off single-nation efforts.

On #InternationalMuseumDay, it is time to rethink the role of museums in this. Tourists marvel at displays in museums and galleries, sparing little thought as to how they got there. Museums and universities have recently been erasing the Sackler name from galleries, libraries and halls donated by the family as their fortune came from opioids. Benefits begotten from slavery are also being rejected. Why is there no similar protest against illegal antiquities in museums abroad?

Mainly because there has been no concerted effort by looted nations to publicise the stealing of their cultural heritage — and its ramifications. The issue has so far been conveniently regarded as the domain of individual nations not a common problem that unifies many. So each looted country takes its case to the offending nation, with limited success. The public of the nations where looted cultural heritage is displayed in museums remains largely unaware of the issues.

Take the long and so far futile battle of Greece to get back the so-called Elgin Marbles — segments of the Parthenon — from the British Museum. Such has been the difficulty to get the British to budge that a move by the current BM head George Osborne to “loan” the priceless friezes back to Greece is being seen as a victory. No one is calling out the brazenness of the British! How can something that belongs to Greece be “loaned” to it by those who carted it off?

India has also been fighting for the return for antiquities, although the Kohinoor gets most of the publicity on this count. The fact is that the diamond is just the most blingy of the treasures that the British got from India via questionable means during the Raj. There are many more Indian treasures in their clutches, including huge sections of the Amaravati Stupa, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s throne, the copper Sultanganj Buddha and Tipu Sultan’s sword, ring and wooden tiger.

The then British Prime Minister David Cameron wasn’t kidding when on a visit to India in 2010 he ruled out the return of the Kohinoor saying. “If you (Britain) say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty. I think, I am afraid to say… it is going to have to stay put.” Some Indian artefacts have indeed been returned by the UK since 2010, but notably, none of those mentioned above. Clearly wider and more sustained action is needed to get results.

That is why India’s emphasis on righting wrongs in the cultural space at G20 is timely. In the 21st century there is no basis for the old canard that museums and private collections (mostly in Western nations and former colonial powers) offer more secure spaces than the countries’ treasures had been “obtained” from. As these columns have always asserted, such institutions have been committing a crime against nations by continuing to keep their cultural heritage.

The West so far has done mostly lip service on the matter of protecting and returning looted cultural artefacts. And bureaucratic red-tape has ensured that the return of antiquities is delayed. Meanwhile, priceless “collections” in museums that clearly have no business to be there rather than in the places of worship or other monuments they were looted from, continue to be displayed and “studied” by scholars. Including those from the countries they were looted from!

The Paris Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property signed in 1970 under the aegis of UNESCO (and endorsed by 143 nations so far) laid down admirably specific conditions. But antiquities of many nations including India are still in museums and collections when they could not have been procured by means acceptable by today’s standards as looting no longer qualifies.

Article 2 of the convention says, “Parties to this Convention recognize that the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property and that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country’s cultural property against all the dangers resulting there from.” What has this “recognition” achieved?

The document also virtuously states that “Parties undertake to oppose such practices with the means at their disposal, and particularly by removing their causes, putting a stop to current practices, and by helping to make the necessary reparations…The import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property effected contrary to the provisions adopted under this Convention by the States Parties thereto, shall be illicit.” More sound and fury signifying nothing.

Obviously so, as the notorious Subhash Kapoor’s trade in illegal antiquities from India and elsewhere flourished abroad after 1970. He and many others cocked a snook at these toothless pronouncements, particularly Article 7 which said member states would take “necessary measures…to prevent museums and similar institutions… from acquiring cultural property originating in another State Party which has been illegally exported” after this convention “took effect”.

The convention also says that at the request of an aggrieved country (via diplomatic channels and with supporting documents), the nation to which cultural property had been illegally imported should “take appropriate steps to recover and return” those items but with a caveat that “the requesting State shall pay just compensation to an innocent purchaser or to a person who has valid title to that property”. How can any title be ‘valid’ if it belongs to another country?

By that logic, of course, Greece should simply pay Britain for the return of the Parthenon pieces carted off by Lord Elgin and India should do the same to get the Kohinoor back — after some solid haggling, presumably. Of course, given Britain’s dire economic situation at present, this may seem an attractive proposition—monetise the treasures Britons stole in centuries past, to tide over its crisis today. But there is little reason for looted nations to oblige.

As G20 has members from both sides — the looted and the looters — there is a wonderful opportunity to form an official consensus regarding fast repatriation of items of invaluable cultural significance. Pooling information and devising mechanisms that can cut red-tape would be a huge achievement. Of course then institutions like the British Museum will have to come to terms with their own past — and display non-looted alternatives in their emptied galleries.

The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed are personal.

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The British Museum's possession of the Elgin Marbles is a subject of dispute, with Greece claiming they were removed illegally.

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Looted Ancient Relics Return to Greek Soil After Lengthy Legal Tussle

© AFP 2023 / LOUISA GOULIAMAKIThis photograph taken in Athens on February 8, 2022 shows a rainbow appearing over the Ancient Acropolis.
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Greece's recent recovery of ancient artefacts comes against the protracted legal ownership tug-of-war between the UK’s British Museum and the Greek government regarding the fate of the "Elgin Marbles" - Parthenon carvings, which were removed from the Acropolis over 200 years ago.
A batch of ancient artefacts spanning historical periods from the Neolithic to Byzantine era are being repatriated to Greece after a 17-year-long legal battle, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced on Friday.
The 351 antiquities in question include a white stone Neolithic-era statuette dating to the 4th millennium BC, an Early Cycladic figurine from between 3200 and 2700 BC, a bronze statue of Alexander the Great from the second half of the 2nd century AD.
Without going into any specific details, Mendoni hailed the joint efforts by Culture Ministry officials, the legal department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s judiciary, and archaeologists to wrest the vast collection from the company of a UK antiquities dealer - Robin Symes Limited - which is undergoing liquidation at the moment.
Symes is said to have put together the collection with the help of a sweeping network of illegal traders.
The current repatriation comes after back in 2006 an investigation was launched into the company owned by the now-disgraced British antiquities' dealer. Acting in close cooperation, Italian and Swiss police in 2016 recovered archaeological artefacts, from Symes’ possession, found to have been stolen from Italy. Symes, once a famous London dealer in artefacts, was suspected of being in cahoots at the time with Italian tomb raiders. There has not been any clarification from Mendoni whether the batch of items coming home to Greece now is somehow linked to that discovery at the Geneva Freeport warehouse complex.
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Removal of Greek Parthenon Marbles Likened to Stripping Salisbury of Stonehenge by UK's Stephen Fry
Greece has been on a crusade to return looted artefacts across the globe. The most high-profile artworks in this case are the Parthenon Sculptures. Originally part of the temple of the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, they were removed by British diplomat Lord Elgin during the Turkish occupation in 1802. They were brought to Britain and are now on display in the British Museum in London. The UK has long argued that Elgin was given permission to take them by local Ottoman rulers. Greece has consistently demanded the return of the sculptures on display in the British Museum, claiming they are "the product of theft." The campaign to return the artworks continue. Meanwhile, at a reunification ceremony in Athens, three fragments of the Parthenon were brought to the Greek capital and its Acropolis Museum from the Vatican.
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Greece has been trying to recover the Elgin Marbles, which are currently held by the British Museum.

The UK argues that Lord Elgin had permission from the Ottoman rulers to remove the Marbles.

The British Museum Act 1963 prohibits the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

UNESCO has laws governing cultural artifact repatriation, but the British claim to the Elgin Marbles is upheld under current international law.

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The long journey of a child who died more than 2,000 years ago

In 2020, the pandemic disrupted everyone's lives, isolated people from each other and ushering in a new reality for all. At universities, activities shifted into low gear and moved online. And in Université de Montréal's Department of Anthropology, then-director Guy Lanoue took the opportunity to do something he'd never had time for: Tidy up.

He was in for quite a surprise. On a dusty shelf, Lanoue found a shoebox-sized cardboard container—and inside were the bones of a child, born in antiquity. At least, that's what was written on the top of the box. Where did the bones come from and what were they doing there? An investigation was in order.

Lanoue called in his colleague Isabelle Ribot, a bioarchaeologist specializing in ancient human remains. After a brief examination, she concluded that the bones were indeed many centuries old. She, too, had no idea how they'd ended up on a shelf in the Department of Anthropology.

Three years later, in early December 2023, with the pandemic over and campus life back to normal, the bones—now dubbed "El Niño"—found a new home. In a private ceremony captured for posterity by UdeM's staff photographer, Ribot handed the box over to Mexico's consul-general in Montreal, Alejandro Estivill Castro.

Alongside his vice-consul and other officials, the diplomat thanked Ribot for returning the bones. The ceremony marked the first time ever at UdeM that ancient remains had been turned over to their rightful owners.

Some notes, one drawing and an inscription

A long series of events had led to that day.

In 2020, with nothing to go on besides a few scribbled notes left in the box, Ribot decided to entrust the investigation of the bones to one of her best students, Étienne Houle, who was completing a master's degree in anthropology. She asked Carlos Jacome, a visiting professor from Mexico and expert in forensic archaeology and Mesoamerican bioarchaeology, to co-supervise the student.

Houle had a few clues to El Niño's story: Notes on the box described the origin of the remains and dated them as possibly from the La Pastora subphase (750–550 BCE) of a period known as the Zacatenco, named after the main village in a region of Mexico where Indigenous populations practiced agriculture.

A rough drawing on the top of the box indicated that it contained only one individual in a very incomplete state: 75 bone fragments from a six-and-a-half-year-old child who lived more than 2,000 years ago.

On one side of the box was an additional inscription that helped Houle make progress: "For the American Museum of Natural History if they want it. Contact Sumru Aricanli."

Brought back from a dig in 1965

Aricanli is an expert in South American, Mexican and Central American archaeology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in New York City. Houle contacted her and learned that back in 1965, Paul Tolstoy, founder of UdeM's anthropology department, had brought the bones back from a dig he'd done in Mexico. After retiring in 2014, he left no forwarding address but stayed in touch with Aricanli.

Aricanli explained that Tolstoy transferred his entire collection, composed mainly of ceramic and lithic artifacts, to the AMNH in 2014 but it included no human remains. Tolstoy specialized in the cultural diffusion of Mesoamerican societies; he never mentioned the El Niño bones in any publications on his research. In fact, when they were discovered, it appeared the bones had originally been mislabeled as those of a deer: the inscription "deer" on the box had been crossed out and replaced by "human child."

Kent V. Flannery of the University of Michigan—a sheet of paper left in the box bore the school's crest—also helped solve the mystery. At Tolstoy's request, he had worked on analyzing some of the artifacts brought back from the 1965 dig and had apparently reported the presence of juvenile human bones among the faunal remains before they were brought to Montreal.

Houle and his colleagues hypothesize that Tolstoy most likely brought the bones back by mistake, unaware they were of human origin.

The remains were unearthed by the team of UdeM archaeologists in 1965 at the El Arbolillo site near Tlalnepantla de Baz, in south-central Mexico, though the exact location remains uncertain. Tolstoy died in fall 2022 but he had an email exchange with Houle in the spring and provided some valuable information.

"He distinctly remembered these remains," said Houle. "Thanks to the information he gave us, we were able to set this repatriation in motion, since we support the return of bioarchaeological collections and their centralization in their country of origin.

Repatriation procedures and a scientific article

Meanwhile, Jacome handled the lengthy repatriation procedures with Mexican authorities and scientists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, in Mexico City. The three UdeM researchers wrote an article about the singular discovery, the subsequent investigation and the repatriation process, and it was published (in French) in the fall 2023 issue of the Quebec journal Archéologiques.

The article is divided into three parts: the osteological inventory, the archaeological context of the discovery, and the ethical and international legal considerations associated with the repatriation of these human remains.

"The ethics of the conservation of archaeological human remains has become a major concern in the 21st century for communities and for researchers," the three anthropologists wrote in the introduction to the article. "The novel process of El Niño's international repatriation brings up ethical and legal issues that have also been raised by many other requests for repatriation in recent years."

"This highlights the need to take ethical considerations into account in the management of bioarchaeological collections and to clarify processes for the return of human remains to ensure respect for the deceased and their home communities," said Ribot. She also noted the need to balance conflicting claims for the scientific preservation of human remains in and the cultural and spiritual dignity of the Indigenous communities concerned.

Human dignity must prevail over the materialistic approach of the scientific community, the three researchers argue: "While the Western worldview is sometimes emotionally detached from ancient artifacts, many Indigenous communities feel an emotional connection to their ancestors," said Houle. "They believe that the dead are entitled to dignity regardless of the passage of time, just like someone who dies today."

Who do human remains belong to?

The article also discusses issues involving the cultural affiliation of human remains. Should remains be returned only to groups with demonstrated geographic, genetic and cultural affiliations? Challenges arise when remains cannot be culturally identified according to scientific standards, and this hampers communities in their efforts to get them repatriated. This was the case with El Niño.

The process of returning the bones revealed gaps in Canadian and Mexican laws on the repatriation of and drew attention to the codes of ethics and professional conduct that guide practices in bioarchaeology. Institutions will have to work to clarify procedures for this type of repatriation in future, the anthropologists say.

As the Mexican consul noted more than once in December during the handover of El Niño's remains, the adventure of this child who died over 2,000 years ago is not over yet. Mexican scientists plan to study the remains as part of ongoing work in Mexico on the Teotihuacán period. And so, after decades on a shelf, El Niño will help researchers enrich what we know about the people who inhabited the Americas before us.

More information: Étienne Houle et al, Note de recherche. Le long parcours d'el niño : rapatriement par l'Université de Montréal d'une sépulture mésoaméricaine, Archéologiques (2023). DOI: 10.7202/1100144ar

Citation: The long journey of a child who died more than 2,000 years ago (2024, February 7) retrieved 7 February 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-02-journey-child-died-years.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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The concept of cultural heritage can be used to facilitate the return of cultural artifacts, as it entails collective ownership rather than individual ownership.

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Content: She is Dead Now, You Can Tear the Crown Apart

The Argument for Cultural Restitution Through the Kohinoor Diamond

When the British took the Kohinoor diamond from Punjab, more than half of it was cut without hesitation, to fit within Queen Elizabeth’s crown.

Stolen, fragmented and appropriated by British legacy—a fitting analogy of their role in the subcontinent.

B-but the diamond has become a part of British culture! You’re absolutely right, a culture that is still proud of its imperialist past, and nothing beyond this in relation to the stone.

In Paul Young’s The Kohinoor, the Crystal Palace, and the Mission to Make Sense of British India, the diamond was placed on display in Britain in the 19th century to symbolize the nation’s “strength, economic prowess and imperial dominance” and its ability to impose it onto others. According to Young, the Kohinoor was famously known for its size and martial history as it depicted the “incalculable wealth, mystery, monarchical power, and strength of the British Empire.”

For Britain, their conquests and exploits were believed to have brought unprecedented economic and lifestyle improvements wherever they held influence, in this particular case, the territory known as the British Raj. This narrative was what the British advanced and by remodeling the history of South Asia as one supposedly saved by the British Empire, the historical and cultural value of the Kohinoor and many other cultural artifacts, were diminished and revamped to fit this account.

What is interesting about the gemstone is that although it is shrouded in a complex history of varying origins, ownerships, wars and bloodshed, the Kohinoor’s existence refutes many arguments against the repatriation of cultural artifacts.

The term Koh-I-Noor was originally coined 300 years ago translating to the Persian “Mountain of Light” after Emperor Nader Shah had been mesmerized by its size and beauty. Often cited in popular culture as the 5,000 year old “Symantaka” jewel from Hindu mythology, it was said to have been found in the Kollur Mine. Earliest records date back to ownership by King Porus in 325 BC and continue with Persian dynasties in the 13th century, Babur’s Mughal Empire in the 16th century and finally with the Sikh Empire in 1813.

Over hundreds of years, the diamond passed through the hands of a multitude of Afghan, Indian, Mughal and Persian families, remaining in Punjab until the “Treaty of Lahore” of 1849. As British troops surrounded the 10 year old Maharajah Duleep Singh, the young king was forced to cede it to the British as part of the annexation of the Punjab region, marking the end of the Anglo-Sikh Wars.

With the conquest of the land, Britain’s attitude towards the territory was that without its own economic presence, the Indian subcontinent would remain culturally backward. For them, European policies had to be forced onto uncivilized peoples and that it was the English duty to make them productive. This resulted in a mercantilist ideal for the colony that sought to maximize its economic potential. The Kohinoor became a symbol of glorified economic exploitation only to be later removed from the Crystal Palace, as it was deemed an item of “mere curiosity and rarity” by British institutions. This perverse and shallow cultural significance the jewel held to Britain cannot be compared to the nations of South Asia—the subject of religious texts, fables, myths and long-held allegories in South Asian culture to this day.

Despite its forceful acquisition and cultural appropriation, mainstream legal bodies uphold the British claim under contradictory premises that quite conveniently encourage repatriation yet systematically prevent any form of it. The British under current international law have no legal obligation to return the stone to the subcontinent because its attainment had occurred before modern international agreements. In the case of the Kohinoor, and every other cultural artifact stolen during the colonial period, prior conquest is a perfectly legal means of justifying the acquisition of property.

To challenge this purposefully biased structure, legal scholars such as Saby Ghoshray have argued that a new framework must be created to redefine cultural property to facilitate their rightful return. This can be done by raising the fact that the Kohinoor diamond’s history demonstrates that it is cultural heritage for South Asians and not simply a symbolic object that was transferred from one bloody hand to the next, as Britain. By reassessing the object as cultural heritage, the international community would recognize its value that transcends both time and its status as merely an object. Heritage also entails collective ownership rather than individual ownership.

Therefore, declaring the Kohinoor as an artifact of cultural heritage to the peoples of South Asia would invalidate the individual ability to cede it, making its succession to the British after the Treaty of Lahore in 1849, illegitimate. The diamond, under the banner of cultural heritage, cannot be placed under temporal limits as its cultural value rooted in thousands of years of history cannot be quantified or measured in time. Re-labeling and reworking the current framework regarding cultural property as cultural heritage allows for the just repatriation of artifacts that were wrongfully taken during colonial eras through violent and coercive means, that are, to this day, being patronized as imperial accomplishments.

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, inaction or action against restitution of cultural heritage propagates and tolerates the consequences of Britain’s colonial past and their effects on former colonies. If Britain dismisses its oppressing history and chooses to celebrate its progress in the wake of the Queen’s death, it must acknowledge its implications as well, including restoring cultural objects to reverse the acts of imperialism while respecting the self-determination of countries. Refusing to address the impact of colonial claims on cultural artifacts constitute social and cultural injuries on the welfare of formerly colonized nations. Until such cultural justice is initiated, conversations surrounding Britain’s moral advancements are performative, hypocritical and further injurious.

This article originally appeared in Volume 43, Issue 2, published September 13, 2022.

The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee promotes the return of cultural property, and has ruled in favor of the restitution of works illegally removed.

The UK Government cannot intervene in the British Museum's affairs, and existing legislation makes it illegal to give away treasures.

Greece has offered to loan historical treasures to the British Museum in exchange for the Elgin Marbles.

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Italy returns Parthenon fragment to Greece amid UK row over marbles

Loan deal could renew pressure on Britain to repatriate ancient Parthenon marbles to Athens

Italy is returning a fragment belonging to the Parthenon’s eastern frieze to Greece in a breakthrough deal that could renew pressure on Britain to repatriate the 2,500-year-old Parthenon marbles removed by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.

The marble fragment, which depicts the foot of a goddess, either Peitho or Artemis, peeking out from beneath an elaborate tunic, is currently held at the Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Sicily. It was originally bought by the University of Palermo from the widow of Robert Fagan, the British consul for Sicily and Malta, after his death in 1816.

The artefact is being returned on a four-year loan as part of a cultural exchange agreement between Sicily and Greece, with the intention for the loan period to be extended by a further four years. However, the move back to Greece could eventually become permanent.

In return, the Acropolis Museum in Athens will loan the Palermo museum a 5th-century BC headless statue of the goddess Athena, as well as an 8th-century BC amphora.

The deal, which includes an exchange of cultural initiatives between the two museums, comes after several years of negotiations between Sicilian and Greek authorities.

“Sending back to the context of its origins a small, but significant, fragment belonging to the Parthenon has a very strong symbolic value,” said Sicily’s councillor for culture, Alberto Samonà. “It is also a response to the international debate [about the Parthenon artefacts]. But I don’t want to get into that debate. For us, this is a gesture of friendship – Greece and Sicily are two areas of the Mediterranean that share a common story.”

The fragment was loaned to Greece in 2002 and in 2008. Samonà said the latest transfer could become permanent, but that it would be up to the Italian culture ministry to take the measures needed to make that happen.

It is not known how Fagan, an amateur archaeologist, acquired the fragment, although one theory suggests it might have been given to him by Elgin, the British aristocrat who excavated the bulk of the ancient Parthenon marbles between 1801 and 1804 before selling them to the British Museum in 1816, where the artefacts are currently on display.

Greece has long fought for the marbles to be repatriated from the UK. In November, the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, demanded that Britain return the marbles to Greece, while at the same time offering to loan some Greek historical treasures to the British Museum. In response, Downing Street said returning the marbles was a matter for the British Museum. The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, had previously said the marbles would remain in Britain, arguing that they were legally acquired.

The Acropolis Museum is considered a suitable location for the display of the Parthenon Marbles.

The British Museum has proposed an agreement to lease the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, but Greece denies recognizing the British Museum's jurisdiction over the sculptures.

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Content: Without removing jurisdiction
Museum protests in Athens
The government of Greece has initiated the adoption of a law that removes the five main museums of antiquities in the country from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
These include the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion in Crete.
Archaeologists have been protesting against the law for several weeks, and in recent days they have been joined by museum staff.
The law on changing the management system of the main Greek museums was adopted on February 13.
This was preceded by long debates and protests by the Association of Archaeologists of Greece, but the centre-right government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ignored the opinion of the professional community.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, supported the law, which, in fact, fixes the loss of her Ministry of control over museums.
Party discipline has proved to be stronger than departmental interests: Mendoni said the move is aimed at modernizing museums, citing “the need to change the way in which specific state museums are managed, as well as to expand their activities and actions. ”
In response, all five interested museums closed.
The strike continues.
What is the essence of this conflict?
Instead of a museum director appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Greek museums will receive councils whose members will be appointed by the government.
That is, instead of professional archaeologists, who traditionally held the posts of directors of these museums, they will be headed by “effective managers ”, whose appointment can strongly correlate with the policy of one or another of the winning parties.
On the one hand, there is a purely managerial desire to remove from the state responsibility for the full provision of museums (under the new law, museums will be able to independently attract additional funding, which, if successful, will greatly facilitate their existence - both in the matter of reconstruction and in the case of various exhibition projects).
On the other hand, the new law could change the situation with Greek antiquities once removed from the country by colonial authorities, black archaeologists, private individuals or Greek refugees.
That is, we are talking about those issues of restitution of artistic values, which until now have been the most painful for the Greek cultural authorities.
It is on this occasion that the different political forces of Greece clashed.
Alexis Tsipras, head of the left-wing Syriza party and former prime minister of the country, immediately stated that “culture and people of culture are being persecuted again. ”
Syriza members abstained from voting on the law.
Tsipras was referring to the part of the new law that regulates the long-term “export ” of certain antiquities.
The law allows “export ” as a“ temporary ” practice of extended credit agreements that will allow looted antiquities to remain abroad for years to come.
In early November 2022, the Metropolitan Museum announced the signing of an agreement, known as a memorandum of understanding, between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Greece, the private Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens (MCA) and the Metropolitan, according to which 161 Cycladic artifacts from the collection of billionaire businessman Leonard N. Stern will be on display at the New York Museum for 25 years. and only then will these controversial things return to their homeland.
To postpone the solution of a problem for a quarter of a century is almost the same as not solving it at all.
So far, Prime Minister Mitsotakis ’ position on the need to return antiquities to Greece has been very consistent.
First of all, he was interested in the “Marbles of Elgin ”, sculptures of the Athenian Parthenon, exhibited in the British Museum (“ Kommersant ” wrote about this on January 12).
In December last year, he held secret talks with George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum ’ s Board of Trustees, to discuss possible solutions to the issue.
However, the new law seems to be specifically written to make a deal with the British Museum to “lease ” 2500-year-old Parthenon marbles instead of continuing to fight for their full return and not giving up ownership.
According to journalists from various Greek media, the British Museum has proposed an agreement under which some of the marbles can be sent to Greece, and the rest will remain hostage in London.
Greece, in return, will have to borrow other exhibits to fill the vacant space in the museum.
The Greek Minister of Culture Mendoni categorically denies this information: “I repeat once again: the position of the Greek government with regard to the sculptures of the Parthenon is that it does not recognize the jurisdiction, possession and ownership of the British Museum. ”
Given that the elections in Greece will be held this spring, no one here takes his word for it.
The archaeological community, however, is not jokingly alarmed: more than a thousand people went to the protest rally, and the doors of striking antiquities museums are increasingly closed than open.
Kira Dolinina
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International cooperation is necessary to protect cultural heritage and prevent looting, and the G20 can facilitate consensus on repatriation of cultural artifacts among member nations.

The Elgin Marbles are 2,500-year-old sculptures taken from the Parthenon Temple in Athens, and their conservation and restoration needs are a crucial aspect of the repatriation process.

The British Museum's poor record keeping may prevent the recovery of stolen artefacts, including the Elgin Marbles, which could impact their conservation and restoration.

Water leaks have damaged the British Museum's Parthenon gallery, which houses the Elgin Marbles, highlighting the need for proper conservation and restoration measures.

The Acropolis Museum is considered a suitable location for displaying the Parthenon Marbles, and it may also play a role in their conservation and restoration.

A cultural exchange agreement has been proposed as a potential solution for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

The return of a Parthenon fragment from Italy to Greece has symbolic value and may put pressure on the UK to return the Elgin Marbles, but it does not provide specific information on their conservation and restoration needs.

The Greek Culture Minister has demanded the return of the Elgin Marbles due to security issues, which could be related to their conservation and restoration.

Title:

Content: Why is the British Museum under pressure?
A call by Chinese state media for the British Museum to return Chinese artifacts after the recent alleged theft of some 2,000 objects has sparked angry reactions in the country.
The request became the most popular topic on Weibo, following an editorial in a state-run national newspaper.
In the article published Sunday evening, the Global Times asked the museum to return all Chinese cultural relics “for free. ”
The Chinese government has not yet commented on the issue.
The BBC has contacted the British Museum for comment but has not yet received a response.
The museum is under pressure after about 2,000 pieces were reported missing, stolen or damaged two weeks ago.
One employee was fired when the news first came out.
Last week, museum director Hartwig Fischer also announced he would step down.
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The Global Times said in an article that the world-renowned museum had "failed to take care of cultural property originally owned by other countries".
The massive loopholes in the management and security of British Museum cultural objects exposed by this scandal have led to the collapse of a long-standing and widespread claim that “foreign cultural objects are better protected at the British Museum. ”
The British Museum houses the largest collection of Chinese antiquities abroad.
According to its website, it contains about 23,000 Chinese artifacts, spanning from the Neolithic period to the present.
These include a large collection of precious items such as paintings, prints, jade, bronze and ceramics.
One of the most famous is the reproduction of a scroll called "Warnings to the Ladies of the Court", a masterpiece considered a milestone in the history of Chinese art.
This is not the first time Chinese netizens have called for the British Museum to return artifacts in recent years amid rising nationalist sentiment.
But the editorial on the suspected robberies sparked further debate this time.
It ’ s called “The British Museum. ”
Please return the Chinese antiquities' search list on Weibo until noon on Monday local time.
It has been republished more than half a billion times.
"Give things back to their original owners," a comment that has been admired more than 32,000 times.
Another prominent comment says: “Now that the country is rich and the people are strong, it is time to bring our treasures back home. ”
While tens of thousands supported the Global Times request, others did not like it.
"Why don't you take a trip to the UK for our treasures?
Just yelling at Weibo locally is just talk, ” he said in a post that has garnered more than 10,000 likes.
The Global Times, known for its hawkish views, has led an English-language editorial campaign attacking the West, especially in recent years amid China ’ s deteriorating relations with the West.
It is not clear whether the Chinese government will take any action after the calls.
Invitations not limited to China
But the museum ’ s demand for the return of the artifacts is not limited to China: after reports of stolen artifacts, other countries have also said they can no longer trust the British Museum with regard to their antiquities.
The Greek government, which is demanding the return of the Parthenon sculptures, also known as Elgin marble, renewed those calls this week.
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni was quoted as saying that the security issues raised by the missing pieces "reinforce our country's permanent and just demand that the Elgin marble be returned once and for all".
Nigerian officials have also called on the museum to return Benin ’ s bronze pieces taken from the Kingdom of Benin that now lies within its territory.
The Conservative chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group at the British Museum, Tim Lawton, described these demands as "opportunistic".
Luton told the BBC that other countries should "come together to help recover antiquities and property rather than try to exploit them".

Security issues have reinforced Greece's demand for the return of the Elgin Marbles, but the specific conservation and restoration needs are not mentioned.

The Elgin Marbles are 17 sculptures that make up half of the Parthenon Temple frieze, and their conservation and restoration require specialized care.

A piece of the frieze was returned to Athens from Italy in 2022, which may have involved conservation and restoration efforts, but the details are not provided.

The UK considers the Elgin Marbles national property and has a legal ban on dismantling the collection, which could impact their conservation and restoration during repatriation.

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Content: UK refuses to return Parthenon marble to Greece
Daily Morning and Agencies
Istanbul, Turkey
Posted at 16.01.2023 11: 13
Last update at 16.01.2023 11: 14
Elgin marble sculpture at the British Museum in London (French)
Britain ’ s culture minister has ruled out a permanent return of Parthenon marble to Greece amid reports that a “cultural exchange ” has almost been agreed with Athens.
Minister Michelle Donilan told BBC Radio that the deal, reportedly negotiated by British Museum chief George Osborne, was not about the permanent return of ancient sculptures to Greece.
Donilan said this was "not final or permanent", referring to the deal by Osborne, former finance minister under former prime minister David Cameron.
Such a move would “open the door to the question of the full contents of our museums. ”
The sculpture, also known as Elgin marble, was taken from the Parthenon Temple in the Acropolis of Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Thomas Bruce, nicknamed the 8th Earl of Elgin.
Secret talks between Osborne and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were reportedly held for a year.
The Daily Telegraph earlier this month, citing media sources, said the reported deal, effectively a loan agreement for the sculpture, could result in the 2,500-year-old relics returning “sooner rather than later. ”
Such an arrangement could circumvent the legal ban on the museum dismantling its huge collection.
Donilan said separately: “Museums are not able to return artifacts legally permanently, which I fully agree with. ”
“A lot of people talked about lending the sculpture for 100 years, which I don ’ t think is in line with the spirit of legislation at all, ” she said, adding that this was not what Osborne was planning to do.
She added that the UK does not want to give up things that have become "national property...
It was seen by people from all over the world, "which the state took great care to preserve.
Elgin VIII took the sculpture when he was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and Greece today insists that the marble artifact was stolen, so Athens has waged a long campaign for its return while the UK asserts it was legally obtained.
The return of the marble sculpture remains a highly sensitive topic as the British Museum ’ s huge collection includes many items that other countries now consider looted after being taken over by the builders of the British Empire while the government is wary of setting such a precedent.

The British Museum has a huge collection, including the Elgin Marbles, and the UK is wary of setting a precedent for returning looted items, which could affect their conservation and restoration.

A loan deal has been proposed to return the sculptures to Athens, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

George Osborne backs a loan deal with Greece, which may involve conservation and restoration efforts, but the details are not specified.

The UK government has no plans to change the law that protects the Elgin Marbles, which could impact their conservation and restoration during repatriation.

The sculptures are protected by law in the UK, and their conservation and restoration require careful consideration.

The British Museum houses the sculptures in a dedicated room, which may have climate-controlled conditions for conservation and restoration.

No clear plan for conservation during the repatriation process has been announced, which is a concern for the preservation of the Elgin Marbles.

The Elgin Marbles were taken from the Parthenon in 1802 by Lord Elgin, and their removal may have caused damage that requires conservation and restoration.

Greece has called for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles for over 200 years, and their conservation and restoration are essential for their preservation.

The British Museum houses 15 metopes and 17 pedimental figures, which require specialized conservation and restoration care.

Only 50 meters of the original frieze remain in Athens, and the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles are crucial for the completion of the frieze.

The British Museum cannot return the Elgin Marbles due to regulations, which may impact their conservation and restoration.

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Home > News > Parthenon marbles are to remain in the British Museum

Parthenon marbles are to remain in the British Museum

The museum might yet arrange for the sculptures to be loaned. But Sunak stated that there are no plans to change the statute, which specifies that the museum can only dispose of pieces in its collection under certain circumstances.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out amending a regulation that prevents the British Museum from permanently returning the Parthenon marbles to Greece.

Sunak confirmed that they have no intention of altering the existing regulations, which limit the museum’s ability to sell or dispose of pieces in its collection except under specific circumstances.

Sunak is unlikely to break with the stances of his two predecessors, who were both against any kind of loan of the marbles to Greece.

“The UK has cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations. Our galleries and museums are funded by taxpayers because they are a huge asset to this country,” Sunak told reporters on his plane as he flew to the United States on monday

“We share their treasures with the world, and the world comes to the UK to see them. The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change it.”

Since its independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly demanded the return of the statues known as the Elgin Marbles, which were stolen from the Parthenon temple in Athens by British ambassador Lord Elgin in the early nineteenth century, while Greece was under Ottoman domination.

George Osborne, a former finance minister and the chair of the British Museum, has been collaborating with Greece to develop a new agreement that would enable the Parthenon sculptures to be displayed in both Athens and London. The Parthenon Project, which has received support from politicians across various parties in the UK, announced on Sunday that a long-term cultural partnership agreement could potentially facilitate the return of the British Museum’s Parthenon collection to Greece.

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The UK has no plans to change regulations on museum collections, which could affect the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles during repatriation.

A long-term cultural partnership may facilitate the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece, which could include provisions for their conservation and restoration.

The UK shares museum treasures with the world, but the conservation and restoration needs of the Elgin Marbles are not specified.

Repatriation talks between the British Museum and the Greek prime minister have been ongoing for months, which may include discussions on the conservation and restoration of the Elgin Marbles.

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Reports say a deal to return Elgin Marbles to Greece is at an "advanced stage"

The Greek daily newspaper, Ta Nea, says talks have been taking place between the British Museum and the Greek prime minister since November last year.

The Greek daily newspaper, Ta Nea, says talks have been taking place between the British Museum and the Greek prime minister since November last year.

Also on the programme: an alternative to plastic; and the story of how a fossil, which lay unnoticed in a drawer for over half a century, has advanced our understanding of the origins of reptiles.

(Picture: One of the Parthenon Statues, also known as the Elgin Marbles. Credit: Reuters)

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The Elgin Marbles are to be returned to Greece, but the specific conservation and restoration needs and how they will be addressed during the repatriation process are not mentioned.

The Vatican has returned three Parthenon fragments to Greece, which could set a precedent for the repatriation of the Elgin Marbles.

Ancient artefacts have been repatriated to Greece after a 17-year battle, which demonstrates the possibility of resolving

Ancient artefacts have been repatriated to Greece after a 17-year battle, which demonstrates the possibility of resolving

Ancient artefacts have been repatriated to Greece after a 17-year battle, which demonstrates the possibility of resolving