Greek Marbles and the campaign to have them returned

[Aristotelian]

Uhm this is probably the latest news on the marbles...what the hell is gomg on with this campaign? Have we given up?


The British Museum
Alleged talks have taken place between the British Government and the British Museum of London with the Greek Minister for Culture over a formula to return the legendary Elgin Marbles during the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The marbles date from between 447 and 432 BC and depict the most formal religious ceremonies of ancient Athens - the Panathenaea procession.

They were removed in the early 19th century from the frieze on the Athens Parthenon by a British envoy, Lord Elgin, (hence, the name Elgin marbles) when Greece was then under the control of Ottoman Empire.

The minister, Evangelos Venizelos in an interview with a private Greek radio station Alpha reported that "Since November ... there has been a dialogue directly on this subject with both the British museum and the British government".


Detail of one of the panels
IThe British Museum in London, which houses the 2,500-year-old marbles, has flatly denied that any such talks had taken place in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper.
Mr. Venizelos had proposed a joint exhibition between the Athens and London museums for the marbles, during the 2004 Olympic games.

Since independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly demanded the return of the marbles and it has been a bone of contention between the two countries ever since. Supporters of the lobby to keep marbles in the UK argue that the British Museum has saved and preserved the sculptures, as pollution in the city of Athens would have caused them to deteriorate.