By what standards should we judge Elgins action?
The Elgin Marbles are a collection of Classical Greek marble sculptures from the Parthenon made under the supervision of the architect and sculptor Phidias.
The Acropolis Museum in Athens is keeping a space empty for the Elgin Marbles to be displayed.
They have been on display in the British Museum in London since the early 19th century.
According to the British Museum, Elgin was granted a firman (letter of order) granting him permission to take away the pieces but in reality, he had just a simple letter. Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, removed the pieces from Greece in 1812. He claimed he had been given permission to remove the items.
At the time, Athens was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which allegedly gave its permission for the items to be taken away.
Elgin suffered financial problems and sold them to the British government.
In 2004, an art critic told the BBC: “I think it’s important not to judge Elgin by the standards of the present” .
About 40 percent of British people think the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece. Organizations and celebrities have campaigned to have them returned, including UNESCO and George Clooney.
In 2021 Greece asked to borrow them to display them for the 200 years celebration of Greece liberation but the request was declined. The question remains
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