Controversy over their acquisition by the british museum continues to this day.
Parthenon marbles british museum controversy.
The parthenon marbles a major money making display at the british museum have been the subject of an ongoing dispute between greece and the uk.
The 2 500 year old sculptures were illegally torn off the parthenon in the 1800s taken to england and sold to the museum in 1816 by lord elgin.
The parthenon sculptures have been the subject of debate for more than 200 years.
The british museum disagrees however claiming that the ancient marbles which are roughly half of a 160 metre frieze that adorned the fifth century bc parthenon temple were legally acquired by.
In many ways the marbles are emblematic of the development of modern ideas of national heritage and global display which.
The british defend their ownership of the marbles based on greece s lack of an adequate museum and the fact that they paid for the pieces mcguigan 2.
How brexit has revived controversy over the elgin marbles in britain.
The director of the british museum has provoked anger by suggesting the removal of the parthenon marbles from greece in the 19th century could be seen as a creative act.
This was the first time the british museum had lent part of its parthenon marbles collection and it caused considerable controversy.
Today much controversy surrounds the ownership elgin marbles both the british and greeks argue that each have legal and moral claim over the parliament s marble adornments.
In 1801 a british nobleman stripped the parthenon of many of its sculptures and took them to england.
The objects were removed from the parthenon at athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to england by arrangement of thomas bruce 7th lord elgin who was british.
The british museum says that the acropolis museum in athens allows the remaining parthenon sculptures to be appreciated against the backdrop of ancient greek and athenian history.
It was on display there from saturday 6 december 2014 until sunday 18 january 2015.
The elgin marbles are a source of controversy between modern britain and greece it s a collection of stone pieces rescued removed from the ruins of the ancient greek parthenon in the nineteenth century and now in demand to be sent back from the british museum to greece.