Elgin Marbles Essay

357 Words2 Pages
After doing some research on what the Elgin Marbles actually was, I learned it was not a bag of marbles. It is actually pieces of sculptures taken from the Parthenon in 1801-1805, by a British ambassador named Lord Elgin. Even though at the time Lord Elgin had permission from the Ottoman authorities to remove the sculptures and take them to the British Museum I feel that the pieces should be returned to Athens. These sculptures are part of a very famous building in Athens. The Lord Elgin claimed to take them because he feared they would all get destroyed if they stayed in Athens. Since it is no longer the 1800’s and there is a place in the new Acropolis Museum for these pieces I feel they need to be returned. I think that the people of Athens would appreciate having them much more than the British do with them being there. I believe that people will study these sculptures no matter where they are but what better place to see and study what you are looking at better than the place they actually came from. If you are going to Britain and have all British surroundings it is harder to appreciate art that does not origin from where you have to go to see it. I don’t fully understand why the British would not give them back to where the originally originated and to keep all the sculptures in one place. I believe the whole value of the Parthenon loses its historical interest to the public by being spread out all over the place. It is like taking a team’s mascot and using it as your own and then making the other team use something else. You cannot take the art of another country and keep it for yourself. I can see why the British do not think they have to return it, the Lord Elgin did get permission, they do not charge people to see them, and they have made huge discoveries in ancient art, but I still believe that if it was taken from somewhere that is where they belong.
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