The Elgin Marbles Controversy

Jasmine Mann

Parthenon Through the Ages/64140

March 27, 2011

The Elgin Marbles Controversy

The Parthenon was first constructed around the middle of the fifth century BCE right in the heart of Athens. It was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos, otherwise known as the virgin goddess. Over the years, the Parthenon was constantly being used. For about eight centuries it was a temple for Athena, but in the fifth century CE it was taken over by the Romans and converted into a Christian church. Then again in 1456, the fate of Athens fell into the hands of the Ottomans who then converted the Parthenon into a mosque. It was during the time of the Ottoman Empire that one of the most controversial events in Greek history occurred. In an article written by Mary Beard for BBC, she discusses how in 1800, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, cut away loads of marble sculptures from the Parthenon and shipped them to England. The marbles included half of the frieze that extended all around the temple, 17 marble statues from the pediments, and 15 metopes. Acquiring the sculptures had eventually left Elgin bankrupt, so he went searching for a buyer. Beard also covers this topic in her book, The Parthenon, and states that in London in 1816, the Select Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to determine whether or not the Elgin marbles should be purchased for the public. They debated over a few things such as how the marbles rated against other classical pieces of art, how Elgin’s offer compared with those of other great collections, and in general whether or not the marbles were truly worth it. Elgin initially asked for 74,000 pounds, but the committee refused and offered him 35,000. Knowing that beggars can’t be choosers, Elgin accepted. To this day we are still unsure of Elgin’s motives. Was he genuinely worried for the fate of these marbles, or was he just a self-serving aristocrat? Whatever they were, we can be certain that he saved them from further damage, although, his agents themselves inevitably damaged some of the pieces that remain in place. The main issues at hand are whether or not Elgin even had the legal right to sell the marbles to the British in the first place and if they should be returned to Greece.

According to deTraci Regula, author of an article discussing the return of the marbles, the citizens of Greece are demanding their property back because they feel that the marbles were stolen from them. The original documents which supposedly had given Elgin permission to study the Parthenon, didn’t say anything about taking them out of the country. Elgin had gained permission from Turkish authorities that had taken over Athens at the time to work on the Acropolis. A record of this exists in Italian, however its terms are currently disputed. Robert Wilde,