Parthenon Marbles

At the beginning of the 19th century, Lord Elgin removed some of the marble sculptures from the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. The Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the maiden goddess Athena, built during the height of ancient Greek civilisation in the 5th century BC, is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high point’s in Greek art. After taking the sculptures in the 19th century, Lord Elgin later sold the sculptures to the British Museum for $36 000, thus creating one of the most famous and longstanding disputes about the ownership of cultural property. Despite repeated requests for their return to Greece, the marbles are still in the possession of the British Museum. The Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece because the marbles were obtained illegally and should be returned to their rightful owner, it will reunite all Parthenon sculptures together, they have a significant cultural importance, and they would be looked after suitably.

Built specifically to provide space for the Parthenon Marbles, many of which are in the British Museum, the New Acropolis Museum opened in June 21 2009 with the hopes of bringing the Parthenon Marbles back home. The Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece as they would be looked after suitably. Safekeeping of the marbles would be ensured at the New Acropolis Museum, situated to the south of the Acropolis hill. It was built to hold the Parthenon sculpture in natural sunlight that portrays the Athenian climate, and arranged in the same way as they would have been on the Parthenon. The museum's facilities have been equipped with state-of-the-art technology for the protection and preservation of exhibits.

Returning the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece would bring them back together to their rightful owners as the Acropolis was still under the Turkish Empire. Elgin still needed permission to enter the site, including the Parthenon and the surrounding Marbles. It is still doubtful whether Lord Elgin was ever truly granted permission to take the marbles. The existing English translation of the 1801 document supposedly signed by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire has often been accused as a fake. The Turkish document itself, together with any other written testimony which could confirm that Elgin acted