Parthenon Marbles, Athens

A bit off topic here. I’ll file this one under Public Spaces. This story is well known, but was news to me.

I had been listening to a ABC/CBC podcast while in Thailand (December to March) called “Stuff the British Stole”. One of the episodes was about marble carvings destructively taken from the Parthenon by Britain’s Lord Elgin about 200 years ago. So it was interesting to be aware of this history when we ended up in Athens (we were there for 2 weeks in mid March 2022).

Here is the podcast: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/stuff-the-british-stole/losing-your-marbles/13572980

The short story is that the Parthenon Marbles were looted by Lord Elgin when the Ottoman empire had control over Greece. They are now housed in the British Museum in London. The Hellenic Republic government and many individuals have been campaigning for their return ever since.

I recall that we saw many Greek antiquities at the Louvre as well when we were there in September 2021. The Louvre houses a Parthenon Marble panel as well (no photo).

Here is the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens in the distance & close up:

At the Acropolis the facts of the theft are stated on this panel in the last paragraph:

Another day, when visiting the Acropolis Museum, we watched a short video detailing the Parthenon Marbles on display at the British Museum. As detailed in the podcast, the Acropolis Museum was purpose-built to house all of the Parthenon Marbles. It is a beautiful facility.

I wondered who this was, presented outside the Onassis Library. It is Melina Mercouri. When serving as Minister for Culture and Sports, she fought hard for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. I hope that someday soon they are returned!