How and When the Friezes from the Parthenon of Athens Arrived at the British Museum (and Greece’s Historic Struggle to Get Them Back)

The Parthenon, that beautiful building in honor of the goddess Athena and which crowns the acropolis of the Greek capital, continues to amaze the planet even more than 2,000 years after it was built.

And it also continues to spark debates about the true owners of the archaeological remains.

Half of the Parthenon Friezes, the marble sculptures that adorned the building, have been in the British Museum since the 19th century, and Greece continues to demand their return.

A record from 1963 bans the removal of artefacts from the British Museum’s collection and although London says it has no plans to change the law, it has accepted the suggestion that the friezes be temporarily ‘loaned’ to Greece.

The United Kingdom and Greece enjoy good relations that have survived their staunch opposing positions on the Frisians, but a diplomatic tangle has emerged in recent days when the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakistold the BBC that having one part of that heritage in London and another in Athens “is like breaking the Mona Lisa in two.”

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The British government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, says it has received assurances that Mitsotakis would not publicly address the Frisians of the Parthenon during his visit to the British capital.

And at the last minute, Sunak’s office canceled a meeting with Mitsotakis scheduled for next Tuesday.

The friezes of the Parthenon were brought from Greece in the early 19th century Thomas Bruce, better known as the Earl of Elgin -that’s why they are also called the Elgin marbles-.

In total there are 15 panels and 17 marble sculptures that were part of the original decoration of the Parthenon, which was built about 2,500 years ago and is considered by many Greeks to be their country’s most important cultural heritage.

But how did the famous friezes end up in the British Museum and what were the other attempts to get them back to Athens?

What is the history of the Parthenon?

It is estimated that The Parthenon was completed in 430 BC and has always aroused admiration among locals and foreigners.

However, over the years it changed from a temple for the worship of Athena to an area of ​​ruins.

The impressive structure has suffered extensive damage over time, especially during the 16th and 17th centuries, when Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire.

The monument was affected by the war between Venice and the Ottomans, at the end of the 17th century, when it suffered a cannon shot that caused a large explosion and destroyed the roof.

Then, throughout the 18th century, many of the surviving pieces were gradually destroyed or looted.

And it is precisely as the 19th century begins that the Earl of Elgin appears on the scene. At the time, he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Greek territory.

According to the version of several directors of the British Museum, Lord Elgin was aware not only of the immense artistic value of the friezes, but also of their history and wanted to take them to the United Kingdom to protect them from destruction.

In this way he negotiated with the Ottoman authorities for permission to leave the friezes and capitals to London.

The transfer process was difficult and several works even suffered significant damage on the way to Great Britain. The move to London took almost four years.

In fact, the process was criticized from the start in Britain: the famous poet Lord Byron opposed the idea of ​​removing the famous marbles from Greece and called Elgin a ‘vandal’.

In 1805, contradictions were also seen in Elgin’s speech, as noted by several historians. The Count had pointed out to the Ottomans that one of the reasons for removing the friezes from Greece was so that people from all over the world would appreciate them.

But the first thing Elgin did was to bring the famous sculptures to his house.

The enormous costs of the transfer and a divorce left the count bankrupt, forcing him to sell the friezes to the British Museum in 1816 for $438,000.

And it is there where they have been exhibited since 1839. Although it is worth clarifying that these are not the only pieces from the Parthenon on display outside Athens.

Claim

After the end of the Ottoman occupation in Greece in 1832, a campaign began to search for relics removed from the country.

Around 1925, several Greek organizations indicated that the pieces that the Count of Elgin had taken should be returned to Greece.what his place of origin was and where he belonged.

They noted that the entity that granted Lord Elgin permission to remove the famous friezes was an invading agent and therefore had no authority to grant permission of that nature.

But in 1983 a serious claim emerged. Melina Mercurithe first woman to be appointed Minister of Culture of Greece, made a formal request to the British government to return the friezes to Athens.

And he did it for the Elgin Marbles, in the heart of the British Museum itself.

“What does the Taj Mahal mean to India? What do the paintings in the Sistine Chapel mean to Italy? The Parthenon marbles are our pride. They are our identity. They are the current link to Greek excellence. They are our cultural heritage. Our soul ”, he argued at the time.

But again, both the directors of the British Museum and the government indicated that they were legitimate owners of those works.

Another argument that has been put forward from London for decades is that Greece did not have a suitable place to keep the famous marbles. But this statement was certainly distorted with the inauguration of the modern Acropolis Museum in 2009.

Although Mercuri’s request did not have the desired effect, it has sparked many campaigns by organizations such as the International Association for the Reunification of the Parts of the Parthenon and on several occasions the Greek government has attempted to recover the works.

The current effort that Mitsotakis is promoting envisions a kind of exchange between works that had never left Greece to be exhibited in the British Museum, in exchange for the return of the friezes.

Even renowned human rights lawyer Amal Clooney made recommendations on how she could demand the return of the Frisians, relying on international law.

But Greece has insisted it will not make any legal claims and will limit itself to diplomatic efforts to reach a decision on the future of the coveted friezes. (JO)