...individual nation often are the legacies and remainings of its ancestor. These could come in forms of intangible works such as literature, music or art and tangible objects like monuments, architecture, and sculptures. No matter what form they are, it could not be denied that those pieces of history are invaluable parts of that nation, creating its cultural heritage and values. They not only provide a glimpse into the past of that nation, but also play a vital role in the creation of the history of mankind as a whole. However, when individual historical pieces originating from one country but are held abroad without the former’s approval, controversies occur. In 1801, Thomas Bruce, seventh Earl of Elgin, serving...
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...The Parthenon was created in the 5th BC and is an architectural and symbolic part of ancient Greece. In 1805 Lord Elgin transported half of the Parthenon sculptures from Athens to Britain after seeing the sculptures in ruins and in 1816 were acquired by the British museum. In 1999 Greece requested the return of the Parthenon statues for the first time. From then on the Greek and the British Governments have debated who gets to keep the sculptures. In my opinion the Parthenon sculptures should not be returned to Greece because; the sculptures were taken with full knowledge and acceptance from the Greek government, moving the marbles may cause more damage, the sculptures are easily accessible to the general public in Britain, the British Government has maintained the sculptures well since 1816, and without all the sculptures and the Athenian temple the original concept of balance through symmetry will never be as meaningful and understood....
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...One of the major issues in the debate is the legality of the Elgin excavation in Greece. It has been stated, “the Elgin Marbles controversy centers on the question of whether or not Lord Elgin had permission to remove the marbles. Specifically, the analysis concerns whether to Ottomans had to right to give Lord Elgin permission to remove the marbles…” . On one side there are authors like John Merryman arguing that the Marbles rightfully belong in London; the other side is the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, demanding their repatriation back to Greece. The people in support of the Repatriation pull emotional heartstrings, and Merryman admits that if this were a moral and emotional debate the Marbles would...
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...Argument of the Parthenon Sculptures The debate surrounding the ""Parthenon Marbles" has existed for quite some time now; the debate has created two opinions. There are those who believe Mr. Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin intentions where to rescues the sculptures from the certain destruction of the Turks who ruled Athens at the time. Then there are those who view his actions as disrespectful. It appears Elgin's intentions were dual in nature, him being a lover of art, seized the opportunity to help himself financially as well as an opportunity to gain a positive, (he had hoped), notoriety among his countrymen. The sculptures were first displayed in "London in 1807"(1). The two opinions took flight after a Scottish poet; by the name of Lord Byron condemned his efforts, which cause some to revisit the morality of it all. The Grecian government has persistently requested the sculptures be returned. The sculptures need to be returned to the Grecians. Firstly, as stated by, Jonathan Jones, "The sad truth is that in the British Museum, the Parthenon sculptures are not experienced at their best."(2) Although the sculptures offer insight to the Western world of its history, the Greek people have a moral right to have the symbols of their history on their soil for their people young and old to learn and to have a sense of national pride. Secondly, "It is believable that the Turkish authorities on sight were bribed. Owen Jarus stated, "Elgin never acquired the permission...
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...2014 The Elgin Marbles: Fact or Feeling? “In a confrontation between Greece and Britain over the marbles, Greece is clearly the sentimental favorite.” – John Henry Merryman “The Elgin Marbles.” “The Parthenon Marbles.” “The Marbles.” Regardless of their description, these works of art are inarguably controversial. The debate surrounding the marbles is heated and far from reaching conclusion. Today, the controversy takes the shape of public protests, press releases from public figures, web-campaigns, and popular media coverage. Why is it that so many in the past have cared, and so many in the future likely will care, about the marbles? Perhaps they offer insight into the human condition, providing us with a global and cultural identity. Or maybe we simply enjoy the aesthetic appeal. Yet the reasoning behind a global interest in the marbles is not what lies at the heart of the controversy. The real issue is ownership. And allowing arguments based on national sentiment rather than legality and preservation to dictate the fate of the Elgin Marbles is irresponsible and, to some degree, disrespectful. Before a meaningful exploration of ownership can be pursued further, critical details regarding the actual acquisition of artifacts must be examined. First of all, Thomas Bruce (more commonly known as the Seventh Earl of Elgin, or Lord Elgin), and his crew brought back to Britain 247 feet of the 524 foot long Parthenon frieze. In addition to the frieze, Lord Elgin acquired 15...
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...The Parthenon has transitioned through many different uses throughout its history, including a temple for the Greek goddess Athena, a church of the Virgin Mary, and a Mosque. Naturally, this results in it being an important site from Greek history. Thus, in 1801-1802, when Lord Elgin came to the acropolis when Greece was under Ottoman rule, he removed sculptures from the acropolis and took them back to England, where they were called the “Elgin marbles.” In the recent past, there has been some dispute between Greece and England about his justifications in taking the marbles, and whether or not they should be sent back to Greece. After analyzing the two arguments, I argue that the Elgin marbles should remain in the British museum. The first reason these marbles should remain in London is because Lord Elgin was not sporadically taking things from the acropolis, but he did so under the full knowledge and authorities of the Ottoman Empire, who were at this time in control of Greece. Some may argue that the Ottomans didn’t have the right to give away artifacts of Greek history, but if they were the ruling power, who is to say they didn’t? The rulers decide what actions to take,...
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...Acropolis,which located in central Athens acropolis hill, is the most outstanding ancient Greek buildings. Greek for “Acropolis” means “high city” or “Takaoka on the city-state.” As a representative work of ancient Greek architecture, Acropolis of Athens has reached the highest level of sacred buildings, temples, orders and sculptures in ancient Greece. These ancient buildings can be rated as the heritage of mankind and architectural masterpiece, and hold an important position in architecture history. Acropolis, including four greatest ancient Greek art masterpieces—Parthenon Temple, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum and Temple of Athena Nike, is considered to be a symbol of the world’s traditional concepts. Due to the history, there are many Parthenon marbles which they removed from the temple and transported to England in the British museum. Many people require England to return sculptures while others do not want to. It is a controversy topic and different people have very different opinions. In my point of view, returning is necessary because cultural treasures from ancient civilizations belong in the places they come from. Also, the cultural importance of the marbles are very strong, not only do they possess the power to almost unlock the past of ancient Greece but as well they have the power to unite the local Citizens of Greece to their true heritage. The Acropolis is used to prevent foreign invasion of the fortress, surrounded by the walled hilltop, site of the ancient Acropolis...
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...THE BRITISH MUSEUM TO RETURN PARTHENON MARBLES TO GREECE The Acropolis museum gives way for the Parthenon sculptures that are in Athens to be appreciated against ancient Greece’s backdrop. Museums are a valuable resource that provides an opportunity for the world to reexamine the past and the cultural activities associated with the history. The Parthenon sculptures are essential elements in the interconnectedness of the world and the political boundaries. The discussion has an argument on whether the British Museum should return the Parthenon (aka Elgin) Marbles to Greece. The Greek archaeology society was founded in 1830, and there in their first meeting, the president ordered the return of marbles. The people of Greece regard these artifacts as the symbols of their culture and their heritage. Historians also argue that the sculptures are an integral part of the temple structures that are still standing in Athens. The placement of the statues in London is unappealing to the Greeks since it is considered to be the biggest museum to tell us about the development in the ancient Greece. They are being used as significant features of the British identity yet they should be unified and viewed in a larger framework to present the Greek art in a chronological narrative (Fineberg, Amos & Lang, 1985). The British Museum was among the first museums used to enlighten society. The museum was considered beneficial to the public in the fact that it was used to expose the pieces of ancient...
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...December 2014 The restitution of the Parthenon marbles to the Greeks from the British has been an ongoing struggle since the beginning of the 20th century. The concept of culture encompasses all aspects of a community’s identity including the highlighted actions by the population and evidence of their civilization, including their art. For the Greeks, their art was praised and an important representation of their unique skills. The Parthenon marbles were a part of the Hellenistic culture that had lost its social context the moment these sculptures were placed elsewhere from its original source. The process of building the marble sculptures involved the most skilled architects...
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...Walter C. Gwin Sr. HUMN-B21 Elgin Marbles I will take the position that the Elgin Marbles should remain in the British museum. Ancient artifacts are a means of understanding a culture’s value system, their beliefs and their worldview. It is important that these artifacts be preserved as much as possible. The Parthenon is “the greatest of all Greek temples. It was built in the old Doric order, even though it was built in the middle of the classical age when the Ionic style was coming into vogue” (Babcock, p82). The Parthenon had stood for over 2500 years and was well preserved. It was built as a gift to Athena the goddess of Athens. It was their way of showing their appreciation to Athena for her help in defeating the Persians. Lord Elgin removed the relics from the temple as a way of preserving them. After all they have been described as being among the greatest of all Greek art. After the battle between the Turks and the Venetians the inside of the Parthenon had been blown out and “the residents helped themselves to the ancient marble and used it for private building material” (Babcock, p82). It is clear that if the sculptures had not been removed to Brittan they probably would have perished by now through natural elements or vandalism. The artifacts helps to culturally link Greece with other great civilizations as wells display the contributions that ancient Greece has made in helping in the development of other cultural achievements in Rome, Europe and Asia, and other...
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...EG362 April 20 2012 The “Elgin Marbles” Many consider the Pantheon sculptures known as the “Elgin Marbles” to be the greatest pieces of art still in existence. Many people from different countries around the globe understand how valuable they are as pieces of history. Many people from different countries around the globe believe they were stolen. The tail of the “Elgin Marbles” as we know them today begins with Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin who was the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during the early 19th century. From 1801 - 1804, Ambassador Bruce hired men to take down the monuments of the Acropolis and shipped them to London. These monuments included pediment figures, friezes, metopes and parts of columns from the Parthenon. All of the pieces removed total over half of all the surviving sculptures from the Acropolis. After falling on financial difficulties and feeling pressure from art and political societies, Thomas Bruce decided to sell his collection to the British Government. The British Government had been debating the issue for some time due to the questionable methods used in the acquisition of the artifacts. Even with heavy resistance from the public and from the people of Greece, British Parliament decided the collection should be bought at a price of £35,000.00, and that the artifacts be displayed to the public at the British Museum. Benfield Page 2 For over two hundred years Scholars, and art lovers have seriously disputed the claim that...
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...GREEK AND ROMAN ART Various Authors Edited By: R. A. Guisepi The art of the ancient Greeks and Romans is called classical art. This name is used also to describe later periods in which artists looked for their inspiration to this ancient style. The Romans learned sculpture and painting largely from the Greeks and helped to transmit Greek art to later ages. Classical art owes its lasting influence to its simplicity and reasonableness, its humanity, and its sheer beauty. The first and greatest period of classical art began in Greece about the middle of the 5th century BC. By that time Greek sculptors had solved many of the problems that faced artists in the early archaic period. They had learned to represent the human form naturally and easily, in action or at rest. They were interested chiefly in portraying gods, however. They thought of their gods as people, but grander and more beautiful than any human being. They tried, therefore, to portray ideal beauty rather than any particular person. Their best sculptures achieved almost godlike perfection in their calm, ordered beauty. The Greeks had plenty of beautiful marble and used it freely for temples as well as for their sculpture (see Marble). They were not satisfied with its cold whiteness, however, and painted both their statues and their buildings. Some statues have been found with their bright colors still preserved, but most of them lost their paint through weathering. The works of the great Greek painters have disappeared...
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...The Elgin Marbles are a set of marble sculptures that were created between 447 and 438 BC. The artist was Phidias and his assistants, together they sculpted this collection of Classical Greek Marble Sculptures that were originally part of the Parthenon and other buildings in Athens. Throughout the years these sculptures went on a journey through the hands of multiple people and eventually made their way to where they are today in the British Museum. After gaining its independence from the Ottoman Empire, Greece started trying to restore its monuments. Many attempts have been made but Britain will not budge. Many think that artwork should be restored to its original owner and or birthplace. If we were to do that many of the museums that we...
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...Cultural riches from ancient civilisations belong in the places they come from. Many museums no longer buy relics, although many like the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum are still increasing and restoring their collections. Some museums are trying to return these artifacts to their rightful homes. “About 65% of the original sculptures from the Parthenon survive and are located in museums across Europe. The majority of the sculptures are divided between the Acropolis Museum in Athens and the British Museum in London (about 30% each), while important pieces are also held by other major European museums, including the Louvre and the Vatican.” Everyone has the right to define what the past means for us. Not everyone may have the same understanding...
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