The Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Marbles, are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, during a period when Greece was under Ottoman rule.

Lord Elgin claimed to have obtained permission from Ottoman authorities to take the sculptures, which included statues and carved frieze panels, but Greece asserts that the marbles were taken without proper consent and are integral to its cultural heritage .

The marbles are currently housed in the British Museum, which maintains that they were legally acquired, while Greece has demanded their return for over 200 years, emphasizing their importance to national identity and the disconnect caused by their removal .

The Acropolis Museum in Athens is highlighted as a suitable location for their display, reflecting their original significance .

The controversy is emblematic of broader debates about cultural heritage, national identity, and the rights of nations to reclaim artifacts taken during colonial times.

The marbles' presence in the UK is viewed by many as a symbol of cultural imperialism, and their return is seen as a matter of national pride for Greece .

Recent developments include Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposing a cultural exchange, offering to loan Greek treasures to the British Museum in return for the marbles, and emphasizing that the marbles were "stolen" and belong in the Acropolis Museum .

Mitsotakis has engaged with UK leaders to negotiate a possible loan deal, but UK officials, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have ruled out any permanent return, citing legal restrictions under the British Museum Act of 1963 .

The British Museum's chair, George Osborne, has expressed support for a loan arrangement, indicating willingness to explore cultural exchange options within legal constraints [1fa

The Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon Marbles, are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, during a period when Greece was under Ottoman rule.

Lord Elgin claimed to have obtained permission from Ottoman authorities to take the sculptures, which included statues and carved frieze panels, but Greece asserts that the marbles were taken without proper consent and are integral to its cultural heritage .

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.

Related Posts

Armenia is making a mistake

Gwynne Dyer

Our View: Disy must stay in opposition

CM: Our View

Questionable performances of Cyprus banks

Les Manison

Jack Straw has very little credence

CM Reader's View

Technical Committees show two sides on the island can work together

CM Guest Columnist

No-one should care what Jack Straw has to say

CM Reader's View

Title:

Content: ‘They were stolen’ Greek PM demands return of the Elgin Marbles ‘Don’t belong to British’

GREEK Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning to demand the return of the Elgin Marbles ahead of meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Link copied

Richard Madeley announces break from Good Morning Britain

Joining Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls, Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke on a variety of topics surrounding the actions of Greek policies. When probed by Balls about the Elgin Marbles and how the Prime Minister should be thinking differently about them, Mitsotakis stated they were stolen from their origins, and they didn’t belong in British museums.

Greek PM demands for the Elgin Statues to be returned after saying they were stolen (Image: ITV/GETTY)

Balls introduced the topic and asked the PM: “Our Prime Minister likes his holidays so I’m thinking a Greek trip next year when you meet him.

“He also likes Greek history, I’m sure you’ll be discussing the Elgin marbles is there a chance in persuaded this classicist Prime Minister here in Britain to start thinking in a different way about the Elgin Marbles?”

Mitsotakis explained: “Well he should, he’s a lover of classical sculptures,” however Balls interrupted and asked him why they were here.

“They’re here because they were stolen by Lord Elgin!” Mitsotakis exclaimed to which Balls retaliated: “That’s debated, stolen or legal?”

“But at the end of the day this is not a legal argument, and I don’t like to talk about the return of the marbles.”

More to follow…

Title:

Content: Skip to main contentSkip to navigation

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.

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.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

The marbles are currently housed in the British Museum, which maintains that they were legally acquired, while Greece has demanded their return for over 200 years, emphasizing their importance to national identity and the disconnect caused by their removal .

Title:

Content: After a long court battle with a well-known art dealer from Britain, Greece's valuable artefacts are finally returning home. As many as 351 rare statues had been found in the possession of British art dealer Robin Symes. The objects were first traced to Symes back in 2006 and since then the country has been fighting to get them back to their territory.

It took 17 years, but finally, the artefacts are returning to Greece. Most of the artefacts are from the Neolithic era and the Byzantine era, however, some are from in between. Of these, the most important one is a statue of Alexander the Great. The statue is entirely made of bronze and dates back to the 2nd century.

History of plundering and supplying to museums

Robin Symes has been accused of plundering antiquities from countries like Italy, Greece etc for decades. Symes has been linked to looting artefacts from excavations in countries like Italy and Greece in the 70s and 80s. In fact, Symes has been served a prison sentence over his illegal sale of an Egyptian statue worth £3 million in 2005.

He has been known to gather antiquities from these companies and sell them for display in the best museums in the world. There isn't any estimate of how much his looted items from the 70s Italy expedition are worth, says the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA). Known to the world's leading art curators and having served as a trustee to the British Museum, Symes formed a powerful network that had access to antiquities in Egypt, Greece, Italy and Asia.

The fight to recover the assets

As such the Greek authorities started investigating Symes' company to repatriate the items including a Neolithic statuette from the fourth century BC. They were chased by the Greek, Swiss, and Italian Police.

In 2016, the Swiss and the Italian team could nab some of the archaeological artefacts from Robin Symes and his company after years of work. All these artefacts were from illegal excavations in Italy. The police tracked the stolen Italian artefacts to a storage unit in Geneva Freeport.

As for the Greek artefact, it's not clear if they came from the same haul or whether it has any link to Italian excavations and artefacts. In the Greek collection, the 4th century BC white stone Neolithic era statuette has been found.

Other missing valuable items from Greece have been also found. The list includes a 3200-2700 BC early Cycladic figure, a 550-500 BC archaic sculpture made of marble, and another 550-500 BC archaic marble head probably from a sphinx or a sculpture.

Other Greek artefacts waiting for recovery

The Greek government has been trying to recover these artefacts from private collectors and museums worldwide. The process has been strenuous legal battles. Only recently, the Vatican returned fragments of the Parthenon temple.

The act of returning the three fragments to Greece in March this year was labelled a "gesture of friendship" by Pope Francis. Even today, many of the Parthenon's temple fragments are in the most prestigious museums in the world, most famously the Elgin marbles in the British Museum.

Title:

Content: UK museums strike loan deal to return Asante Gold to Ghana that was looted over 100 years ago

25 January 2024, 07:25 | Updated: 25 January 2024, 07:27

By Jenny Medlicott

The UK is returning a selection of Asante Gold looted from Ghana over 100 years ago in a historic loan deal.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The British Museum has struck a deal to return 15 pieces of the gold to Ghana and the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) 17 pieces, under a new three-year loan deal.

Loan deals are used as a way to enable collections to return to their countries of origin.

The Ghanian loan deal, which can be extended by an additional three years, was agreed with Otumfo Osei Tutu II, the current Asante king known as the Asantehene.

Some national museums in the UK, including the V&A and British Museum, are prohibited from permanently returning such items to their countries of origin.

The items will reportedly go on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Asante region, to celebrate the Asantehene's silver jubilee.

Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, said the gold items taken from the court of the Asante King are the equivalent of "our Crown Jewels".

Mr Hunt also said when museums "hold objects with origins in war and looting in military campaigns, we have a responsibility to the countries of origin to think about how we can share those more fairly today.

Read more: British military drawing up plans for 500,000-strong 'citizen army' as top general warns UK 'stumbling into war'

Read more: Home Secretary defends Govt record on 'zombie knives' as Labour sets out £100m plan to tackle knife crime

"It doesn't seem to me that all of our museums will fall down if we build up these kind of partnerships and exchanges,” he told the BBC.

It is hoped the historic deal will pave the way for handling other repatriation disputes - potentially including the long-running dispute over the Elgin Marbles.

Ghana’s chief operation said he hoped the deal would bring a “a new sense of cultural co-operation” following years of anger.

However, some have expressed concern that accepting the items on loan could be seen as acceptance of the UK’s ownership of the contested items.

Most of the items were taken during 19th-century wars between the British and the Asante.

A sword of state and gold badges worn by officials charged with cleansing the soul of the king are among the items to be returned.

The artefacts are seen as a symbol of the Asante royal government and are believed to hold the spirits of former Asante kings.

As for other contested artefacts held by British museums, in the case of the Elgin Marbles, a senior British Museum has source said the museum was “still exploring if there is an arrangement that would allow some of the Parthenon sculptures to travel to Greece”.

It is hoped deals such as these could help provide a solution to former colonial nations requesting the return of their cultural treasures.

The Acropolis Museum in Athens is highlighted as a suitable location for their display, reflecting their original significance .

The controversy is emblematic of broader debates about cultural heritage, national identity, and the rights of nations to reclaim artifacts taken during colonial times.

The marbles' presence in the UK is viewed by many as a symbol of cultural imperialism, and their return is seen as a matter of national pride for Greece .

Recent developments include Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposing a cultural exchange, offering to loan Greek treasures to the British Museum in return for the marbles, and emphasizing that the marbles were "stolen" and belong in the Acropolis Museum .

Title:

Content: Skip to Content

Greek leader, in London, seeks return of ancient sculptures

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has held talks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis amid a renewed push by Athens for the return of marble statues that once stood in the Parthenon. Johnson said he “understood the strength of feeling of the Greek people” about the sculptures after Mitsotakis raised the issue during talks. But the British leader stressed that decisions about the issue rest with the British Museum, where the marbles are held. The 17 figures and part of a frieze were taken by the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. Britain maintains Lord Elgin acquired the sculptures legally. Greek government says they were stolen and wants them returned for display in the Acropolis Museum.

Associated Press

Skip to content

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."

DON'T MISS
Brexit Britain could avoid energy shortages with breakthrough renewable source [INSIGHT]
Danny Miller crowned I’m A Celebrity 2021 winner ‘I’m speechless for once!’ [REPORT]
Enraged Brit calls Macron 'jumped-up Napoleon' and urges Boris to 'get in ring' over fish [ANALYSIS]

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."

Title:

Content: You are here
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.

Top

Mitsotakis has engaged with UK leaders to negotiate a possible loan deal, but UK officials, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have ruled out any permanent return, citing legal restrictions under the British Museum Act of 1963 .

Title:

Content: Skip to main content Skip to navigation

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 British Museum's chair, George Osborne, has expressed support for a loan arrangement, indicating willingness to explore cultural exchange options within legal constraints [1fa