Will British Museum scandal hasten return of Parthenon Marbles to Greece?

By Aysu Bicer and Ahmet Gencturk

LONDON/ATHENS (AA) – An ongoing debate over the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, has taken a new turn with the recent revelations of thefts from the British Museum’s collection.

The scandal has raised questions not only about the security and management of the museum, but also about the broader concept of cultural heritage in the modern world.

The Parthenon Marbles, originally part of a frieze that decorated the ancient Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens, were removed on the orders of Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, in the early 19th century.

These exquisite ancient Greek sculptures depicting gods, heroes and mythical creatures have been housed in the British Museum for centuries, drawing millions of visitors annually.

Greece’s efforts for their return date back to 1982, when Culture Minister Melina Mercouri made an appeal at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies in Mexico.

The recent thefts from the British Museum’s collection, although unrelated to the Parthenon Marbles, have cast a shadow over the institution’s security measures and transparency.

The scandal began on Aug. 16, when the museum issued a statement confirming that objects were missing, stolen or damaged.

The items include gold jewelry and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD.

The British Museum said it had sacked a staff member and started legal action, while its director Hartwig Fischer later resigned on Aug. 25.

The revelations have further fueled the debate about the British Museum’s ability to safeguard cultural artefacts from around the world.

Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the museum’s claim that the marbles are more secure in London than in Athens has lost credibility in light of the scandal.

- ‘Sharp distinction’

Reflecting on the thefts, Paul Cartledge, vice chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, expressed concerns about the museum’s ability to protect its vast collection and the current state of public trust in the institution.

However, he emphasized that the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and the theft of other objects from the British Museum are two distinct matters.

The former encompasses moral, diplomatic, aesthetic and cultural considerations, while the latter pertains to technical and managerial challenges that the museum must address independently, he said.

“I’m one of those who wish to draw a sharp distinction between the British Museum’s general curation of its objects. In other words, it has 8 million objects, so an awful lot to look up,” said Cartledge.

“Thefts do tend to occur. Not often, but they do occur. I would not wish to use the argument that the British Museum cannot look after the Parthenon Marbles.”

But Cartledge said he is “deeply dissatisfied” with the current display of the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum.

“I believe that significant improvements are needed, regardless of whether the museum retains possession of the marbles. Coincidentally, there is discussion about a substantial renovation of the Greek rooms within the British Museum, along with the appointment of a new keeper for Greek and Roman antiquities These developments provide an opportunity to reconsider the location and presentation of the Parthenon Marbles,” he explained.

Despite the growing pressure, Cartledge believes that any major UK political party will take up the return of the marbles as a legislative issue.

“It is a decision that ultimately will be made at the very top level. It’s not going to be easy for the British government to put the issue of the marbles on a legislative program,” he said.

The British Museum is currently bound by the Museums Act of 1963, which prohibits the deaccession of its artifacts.

Repatriating the Parthenon Marbles would necessitate changes to the 1963 Act and would likely necessitate the modification or repeal of the original 1816 Act of Parliament, through which the British government acquired them.

Cartledge, therefore, thinks that Greece should continue exerting diplomatic pressure on the British Museum’s trustees, urging them to persuade the government to enact the necessary legislative changes.

- ‘British imperialism and arrogance’

Christy Constantakopoulou, a senior expert on Greek antiquity at Greece’s National Research Foundation, sees the British Museum’s insistence on retaining the marbles as rooted in “historical notions of British imperialism and arrogance.”

“In the 19th century, the British removed the Parthenon Marbles from the Acropolis in Athens because they believed themselves to be the ‘rightful’ heirs to the classical Greek past. The British keep them today because they still think that they are the best guardians of the classical Greek past,” she told Anadolu.

“Certainly, the recent revelations about the gross mismanagement of the antiquities kept in the British Museum have further weakened the British argument about how the British Museum has been an appropriate location for their display,” she added.

She went on to argue that the issue extends beyond the Parthenon Marbles and the British Museum.

Contemporary museum formats, such as those of the British Museum and the Louvre, are criticized for holding looted antiquities taken from various parts of the world through dubious means.

Constantakopoulou said these “museums are emblems of a colonialist past, when Western Europe asserted itself as the intellectual, economic and cultural leader of the world through the forceful exploitation of other nations.”

“For a modern Greek but also for an international audience, they are an extreme example of the brutal force of British imperialism, both in the 19th century (the period of their removal from Greece) and in the 21st, with the British refusal to return them to their rightful home,” she said.

“The Parthenon Marbles, alongside all antiquities taken from elsewhere, should be returned to their country of origin.”

- ‘Greece paved way for other countries’

The Melina Mercouri Foundation based in Athens agreed that the recent scandal further legitimizes Greece’s decades-old endeavors to bring back the marbles.

“The poor preservation of the exhibits in the British Museum, as well as the significant damage caused to the Parthenon Sculptures, advocate the need for their return, as our country has preserved its antiquities through the centuries without unsolicited protectors like Lord Elgin,” the foundation told Anadolu in an e-mail exchange.

Asked whether this would create an example for other countries whose cultural heritage was stolen or looted by Western countries, it said: “Greece’s campaign for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures has already caused a change in public opinion, so that other countries have begun to lay claim to stolen antiquities.”

As the debate continues to simmer, with voices from both sides of the argument passionately making their case, the fate of the Parthenon Marbles remains uncertain.

The clash between moral and cultural claims, the practicalities of museum management, and the nuances of diplomacy keep the debate alive, ensuring that the Parthenon Marbles remain a symbol of a cultural tug-of-war with no immediate resolution in sight.​​​​​​​