Boris Johnson rules out returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece: PM argues British Museum is rightful owner of 2,500-year-old ‘legally acquired’ sculptures Boris Johnson rejects often-repeated requests from Athens to return sculptures PM says they were ‘legally acquired under the appropriate laws of the time’ Greece insists the 5th century BC sculptures, were stolen from the … Read more
A range of items including a flintlock pistol and a leather shoe sole are among a trove of treasure discovered in the same sunken ship that carried the Elgin Marbles. Archaeologists working for the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport have been investigating the shipwreck of the Mentor since 2011 in search of artefacts. The sunken … Read more
The Parthenon Marbles: The Parthenon Marbles – popularly named the Elgin Marbles after the7th Earl of Elgin, the man who took them from Greece – are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural members that were mostly created by Phidias and his assistants. The Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, removed the Parthenon Marble … Read more
The British Museum has hired a curator to delve into the history of its eight million objects, many of which were obtained during the colonial era. Historian Dr Isobel MacDonald is to lead the museum’s History of Collection research, which will examine how objects have arrived since its 1759 founding. Several of the items in … Read more
US Congressmen this week waded into the controversy over the British Museum’s ownership of the Elgin Marbles, urging Boris Johnson to hand them back to Greece by 2021. ‘The Marbles have been the source of controversy among western allies for many decades. Greece has long wanted these Parthenon Marbles back,’ the 18 US lawmakers said … Read more
Group of US Congressmen tell Boris Johnson to hand Elgin Marbles back to Greece by next year or post-Brexit trade deal and the ‘special relationship’ with Washington could be in jeopardy Eighteen members of House of Representatives wrote letter to Prime Minister The caucus on Hellenic Issues said it had caused controversy for decades They … Read more