British Museum Elgin Marbles Controversy

The marbles are beautiful friezes and sculptures that once adorned the parthenon on the acropolis of athens built between 447 and 438 b c.

British museum elgin marbles controversy.

The british defend their ownership of the marbles based on greece s lack of an adequate museum and the fact that they paid for the pieces mcguigan 2. The elgin marbles are the most famous exhibit in the british museum in london england. The director of the british museum has appeared to rule out returning the elgin marbles to greece after its government demanded britain open negotiations over their return last year. Ian jenkins the parthenon sculptures in the british museum british museum press 2007 ian jenkins greek architecture and its sculpture in the british museum british museum press 2006 mary beard the parthenon profile 2002 william st clair lord elgin and the marbles 3rd edition oxford university press 1998.

The parthenon marbles a major money making display at the british museum have been the subject of an ongoing dispute between greece and the uk. The elgin marbles refer to a collection of ancient greek sculptures and architectural details dating back to the fifth century bc which are currently kept in the british museum london. Ian jenkins british museum curator who opposed calls to return elgin marbles to greece obituary jenkins maintained that had the parthenon sculptures not come to the museum in 1816 they would. The marbles depicting gods men and monsters were removed from athens parthenon in 1811 by lord elgin the british ambassador to the ottoman empire that controlled greece at the time.

Today much controversy surrounds the ownership elgin marbles both the british and greeks argue that each have legal and moral claim over the parliament s marble adornments. The age old controversy surrounding the elgin marbles is likely to re emerge this year when the olympics take place in athens.