Key Points
- The Parthenon sculptures are a collection of artefacts from Greece that date back to the 5th century BCE.
- The items currently sit in the British Museum in London, despite calls for their repatriation back to Greece.
- The British Museum has proposed a new Parthenon Partnership.
What were once treasures that decorated the temples of ancient Greece, are now a collection of precious artefacts that sit incomplete thousands of kilometres away in the British Museum.
The sculptures date back to the 5th century BCE and are considered the crowning glory of Athens' Golden Age, as they once stood in the Parthenon and other structures of the Acropolis.
They were removed from their original home under the instruction of Lord Elgin - also known as Thomas Bruce - in the early 19th century.
Lord Elgin was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire when Athens fell under its rule.
The items were removed by agents of Elgin with the consent of the then-ruling government and included half the surviving Parthenon sculptures, as well as sculptures from the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaia.
A series of trips were made between 1801 and 1812 that delivered the selected artefacts to Britain. The details of how they ended up on British soil are contested to this day.
The sculptures represented Greek gods and goddesses and experts say they held and still hold a lot of value to Greek people. Source: Press Association / Press Association
"The problem that we have with the paperwork is that none of this survived, none of it was perhaps kept or archived," he said.
"So, digging back into who was allowed to do exactly what and when is quite a tricky problem for everybody."
The artefacts are especially significant to the Greeks of the modern day, Professor of Greek studies at Sydney University, Vrasidas Karalis, explained.
"[The Parthenon] is a religious monument dedicated to the glory of humanity," he said.
"It's the celebration of human endeavour and human achievements throughout history. It's a very important artistic monument, the most central monument in the entire history of the Greek nation."
Cracks in the political relationship
Their presence in the British Museum is the subject of longstanding international controversy, with several requests by Greece for the return of the artefacts rebuffed.
The long-running dispute between Greece and Britain saw a bitter escalation in November after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with his counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The British leader cancelled the meeting a few hours before its scheduled time, a move that Mr Mitsotakis said he didn't appreciate.
"I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mr Mitsotakis said in a statement.
The temple of Erechtheion was built towards the end of the 5th century BCE and shares the Acropolis site with the much larger Parthenon. Credit: Shirley Glaister
"Anyone who believes in the rightness and justice of his positions is never afraid of confronting arguments."
The British government instead offered Mr Mitsotakis a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden an alternative he rejected.
Prof Karalis believes the ties between the two countries will not be threatened. Source: Supplied / Vrasidas Karalis
"The Greeks love the British, the British love the Greeks," he said.
"I don't think that will impact British relations because they are deep, they're profound and they're complex. They've got a history that spans over the last three or four centuries."
Carving a way out
The British government has always ruled out giving up ownership of the marbles, which include about half of the 160-metre frieze that adorned the Parthenon, and says they were legally acquired.
A law prevents the British Museum from removing objects from the collection in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.
Talks between the museum and Greek officials were held last year to discuss a potential loan arrangement but Mr Mitsotakis says little progress has been made in those talks.
On the table, includes a proposal by the museum for a new Parthenon Partnership, a scheme calling on authorities from both countries to agree on a program of lending and borrowing the objects.
Museum says it's 'open and transparent' about acquisitions
Prof Karalis believes the British Museum's refusal to return the sculptures is part of a bigger issue.
"The British Museum is full of stolen treasures from all around the planet, in most cases these monuments were stolen, and they were taken down by force, without the consent of the local people," he said.
"I imagine if these sculptures were returned, it'd set a precedent for others. If that's the case, you'll have an empty museum."
The museum told SBS: "Discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are ongoing and constructive."
“We believe that this kind of long-term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum."
