The History of the Parthenon Marbles

“You must understand what the Parthenon Marbles mean to us. They are our pride. They are our sacrifices. They are the supreme symbol of nobility. They are a tribute to democratic philosophy. They are our aspiration and our name. They are the essence of Greekness.”
~ Melina Mercouri

 

The Parthenon: A Masterpiece of Classical Greece

The Parthenon, an enduring symbol of the Athenian democracy and Western civilization, is among the most significant architectural achievements of the ancient world. Constructed between 447 and 438 BCE under the leadership of Pericles, the temple was designed by Iktinos and Kallikrates, while the sculptural decoration was created by the renowned sculptor Pheidias. Dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens, the Parthenon remains an emblem of classical harmony, proportion, and artistic excellence.

The Removal of the Parthenon Marbles

Between 1801 and 1804, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, then British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, orchestrated the removal of approximately half of the surviving sculptural decoration from the Parthenon. Elgin claimed to have obtained a firman (official decree) from the Ottoman authorities allowing him to remove pieces of the monument. However, the legitimacy and precise terms of this document remain highly disputed.

Historical accounts indicate that Elgin's team bribed Ottoman officials to gain access to the Acropolis. The removal process was violent and destructive, with sculptures; including metopes, friezes, and pedimental figures—forcibly detached from the structure, causing irreparable damage. Notably, some sections of the frieze were sawed apart to facilitate transportation.

The Marbles were later transported to Britain and, after financial difficulties, Elgin sold them to the British government in 1816. They have since been housed in the British Museum, despite repeated calls for their repatriation.

Early Protests and the Birth of the Repatriation Movement

Even in the 19th century, Elgin’s actions were met with outrage and condemnation. The renowned Romantic poet Lord Byron fiercely criticized the removal of the sculptures, referring to it as an act of cultural vandalism in his poems Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812) and The Curse of Minerva (1811).

In 1842, Alexandros Rangavis, then secretary of the Archaeological Society of Athens, made Greece’s first official request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. However, formal efforts gained significant momentum in the late 20th century.

The Modern Repatriation Campaign

The issue of the Marbles' return became central in 1982, when Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri passionately presented Greece’s case at the UNESCO General Conference on Cultural Policy in Mexico. Her speech marked a turning point, elevating the campaign to an international level. In 1984, Greece submitted an official request for repatriation, which was rejected by Britain in April of the same year.

Later that year, Greece also appealed to UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin, where the issue has been continuously discussed since 1987. Every two years, UNESCO formally reviews the case, emphasizing its cultural and ethical significance.

A major milestone in the campaign was the 2009 inauguration of the Acropolis Museum, designed to house and protect the Parthenon sculptures in their rightful context. The museum’s state-of-the-art conservation and display facilities dismantled one of the long-standing British arguments against repatriation; that Greece lacked a suitable space to exhibit the Marbles.

Recent Developments and Growing Support for Repatriation

In recent years, there has been increasing global recognition of the moral imperative to return cultural artifacts to their places of origin.

  • September 2021: At the 22nd Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee, for the first time in 37 years, the Committee issued a formal decision urging Britain to reconsider its stance and engage in meaningful discussions with Greece. The statement explicitly recognized the intergovernmental nature of the issue and Greece’s legitimate legal and ethical claim to the Marbles.

  • January 2022: In a landmark shift, The Times of London; after five decades of supporting British retention of the Marbles; published an editorial titled “The Times’ View on the Parthenon Marbles: Uniting Greece’s Heritage,”advocating for their return to Greece.

  • January 2022: The Fagan Fragment, a missing piece of the Parthenon frieze, was permanently returned to the Acropolis Museum by the A. Salinas Museum in Palermo, Italy. This section, part of the eastern frieze, features the foot of the goddess Artemis and set an important precedent for restitution.

  • December 2022 – March 2023: Pope Francis announced the return of three fragments of the Parthenon Marbles held in the Vatican Museums for centuries. These pieces, part of the 160-meter-long frieze, were formally reunited with the Acropolis Museum collections in March 2023.

  • November 2023: A scheduled meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was canceled by the UK side, reportedly due to public comments by Mitsotakis advocating for the return of the Marbles. This incident underscored the ongoing sensitivity surrounding the issue.

  • December 2024: Reports indicated that negotiations between Greece and the British Museum regarding the return of the Parthenon Marbles were "well advanced," suggesting a potential breakthrough in the longstanding impasse.

The Future of the Repatriation Effort

The return of key fragments from Italy and the Vatican, coupled with mounting public and political pressure, has strengthened Greece’s case for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. As the debate continues, the international community increasingly recognizes that these sculptures are an inseparable part of Greece’s cultural and historical identity.

The Youth Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is dedicated to keeping this issue at the forefront of public discourse, mobilizing the next generation to struggle for their rightful return. The Parthenon Marbles are not merely artifacts; they are an intrinsic part of Greece’s heritage, and their reunification remains a global cultural imperative.