Preview

Elgin Marbles Debate

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
296 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Elgin Marbles Debate
For over 150 years the marbles of Greece have been placed in the British museum, they are recognized as the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles continue to be the main point of an ongoing debate that will basically determine the historical influence of an important culture. Some of the sculptures that were removed were the marble figures, metopes (sculptures in high relief) and friezes. To this day the Greek government has correctly requested the return of the Elgin Marbles a few times while the British government has frequently refuse any action. Greece is in pursuance of an agenda to pressure the British Parliament to pass a law to authorize the British Museum to return the collection to its original site at the Acropolis. All of this is being done through the direct lobbying efforts that have the support of UNESCO and the European Union. The Greek government is also acknowledging international channels to resolve the problem, especially the European Court of Justice. The Parthenon Marbles complete a particular case in which they form part of a distinctive monument for humanity and international public opinion that symbolizes civilization and democracy, but for the Greek people it indicates much more than that, for them, the Parthenon Marbles symbolizes our history and solidity of the Greek nation. The Athenian statesman Pericles builds the Parthenon after the Greek army’s final victory over the Persians at Plataea in 479 B.C. They labored on the Parthenon, which privileged Athens patron deity Athena, began in 447 B.C. and it was finished fifteen years afterwards. The memorial ornate sculpture was representational of Greece’s political and cultural history. The 92 metopes revealed the triumph of Greek deity’s and defeaters over their competitors and the triumph of society over

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The pieces were damaged, hacked burned even, but can one account for the time and the reasons for this effacement? This “city on a hill” was distinct in its presence and expensive in its “right” to be constructed. However its use over time has worn or even destructed all of its original purpose: the roof, the cult statue of Athena-Parthenon, among a great deal of other things. Can the Acropolis be seen as only a memorial to a war? Greece/Athens fought a great deal of wars, but perhaps the zeal and the nationalism, perhaps even hubris that the ancient Athenians felt forced them to reconstruct their most holy site in what we see today. Athens certainly celebrated their past, but also worshipped their Gods/Goddesses with fervor, can we view their relationship with the Divine in the same way we interpret the Divine…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Parthenon building in Athens was started in 447 BC and completed in 432. It represents a tangible and the visible power of the Athenian Empire. Having also the influence from the Athenian politician, Perikles. The Pantheon Building is in Rome, Italy and was constructed in 126 AD. The name Pantheon comes from the Greek language meaning ''every god''. It’s in a circular shape rather than the rectangular shape of the Parthenon Building in Athens. It is currently being used a Church dedicated to St. Mary and has been since the 7th century. For these buildings, I have found that the functionality or use of them has been quite different from each other. The Parthenon was used as both a treasury in the smaller rooms and as cult statues rooms in the larger areas.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Much debate has been seen on returning antiquities to the country of origin. It seems as though most outsiders side with the country of origin, but are they correct in their opinion? Just as stated, it is their opinion. The following gives way to my beliefs that the Elgin Marbles should stay at the Duveen Gallery in Britain. The first section seeks to credit Lord Elgin and a legitimate purchase. The second section revolves around the Elgin Marbles as a symbol of Greek identity and why keeping them in Britain makes sense. Finally, the third section focuses on the location of the antiquities in relation to the accessibility by scholars and world-travelers.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many historians believe that the Greek and Roman architecture, known as "classical architecture," evolved from basic Egyptian column design, consisting of a pedestal, column and "equity" or top. The Greeks and Romans out this design by creating five more types of columns to support their many civilian buildings and religious temples. The Romans also borrowed from the Etruscan arch design to create the dome.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato on the Parthenon

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The philosophical ideas of Plato that relate to the Parthenon include whether the structure is an element of the Visible World or the Intelligible World. In my opinion, Plato would view the Parthenon as an object in the Visible World. The Parthenon is a one of a kind monument that is tangible and exists in our real world. The Parthenon is an architectural project and deals with forms of science and mathematics. Plato's view of science and mathematics are categorized as forms in the Intelligible World, which are intangible. Through analysis of illusory tactics, the Tripartite Soul, the simile of the line, and the artistic qualities of architecture, Plato's, as well as my view of the Parthenon will become evident.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athough from two entirely different cultures and entirely different times, the Pantheon and the Parthenon share similarities, along with a world of differences, in form, function, themes, ideology, and messages about their respective civilizations. By comparing these two structures, it is easy to see why knowledge of context and culture is important to understanding and interpreting art.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The “Elgin Marbles” are Ancient Greek art from The Parthenon in Greece, named this after Lord Elgin. The ancient art was acquired by Britain, initially through Lord Elgin’s removal from the Parthenon during his time as an Ottoman ambassador in Athens, Greece. He somehow convinced the Ottoman emperor to allow him to take the ancient art, beginning in 1805. The British government purchased the ancient artifacts from Lord Elgin and placed them in the British Museum, where they have remained since 1816. Currently, Greece’s government argues that the artifacts should be returned. Britain states that it is a bad idea due to the irreversible damage that…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Parthenon in Athens was built during the greatest time on the Athenian Empire, in 5th century BC. The construction was largely promoted by the politician Perikles (The Parthenon, n.d.). The Parthenon was built as a sign of gratitude to the gods for the defeat of Persians, who earlier destroyed Athenian acropolis. Parthenon was built as a temple for the goddess Athena - a goddess of Athens. Parthenon is built in Doric style with colonnade around the periphery of rectangular floor. It has a main room for the statue and a smaller room for treasure (The Parthenon, n.d.)…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Again, from an architectural standpoint, this monument began construction around 447 BCE and is one of a kind due to its immense size, columns, pediments, and elaborate design. This building contains both doric and ionic columns, meaning that there would be metopes and triglyphs on the doric columns and bases with scrolled capitals on the ionic columns. The roof is very large and sloped on two sides, allowing for pediments on both the east and west sides. The east pediment depicted the birth of Athena, the west pediment showed Athena and Poseidon competing, and at least one of the metopes showed a centaur and Lapith theme known as centauromachy. This building was strategically placed on one of the highest points in the city and was utilized as a place of worship, made out of limestone and marble. Inside would have been a colossal statue of Aphrodite. This building utilized a classical style of architecture and was built by Itkinos and Kallikrates. From a religious standpoint, this building may have held as much importance as the Apostolic Palace does in Rome. The Parthenon is part of a larger Athenian Acropolis, which has four buildings…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Elgin Marbles

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Parthenon marbles are works of art taken from the Acropolis of Athens by Lord Elgin and brought to England while Greece was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.. Lord Elgin received permission from the Sultan to remove the statues at a price less than what it takes to transport them. Money was not the main motive for Elgin in acquiring them, there were wealthy bidders who attempted to buy them from him but he refused. Once in England many found a great interest in them as well as controversy. Elgin was tried for theft even though Greece 's contemporary law had allowed him to remove them. The charges could not hold up in court and he was eventually and rightfully exonerated. After falling into dept Elgin had little choice in but to the British government. I firmly believe the statues should remain in Britain, the opposition might claim that the Greeks have a cultural right to them. But as Appiah argued in chapter 7, the Greeks of the 21st century are no culturally similar to the ancient Greeks than someone in the U.S. They are the descendents of the ancient Greeks after all, but that does not take history into account. The people of Greece only exist today as a result of the past good or bad. Ancient Greece is known for its militant and philosophical way of life; they gained large amounts of wealth from war; should the current Greeks return whatever they can identify as having been gained from war? I don 't think they should, instead of living with the consequences of yesterday they should focus on the yet to be determined tomorrow. We cannot just go around returning everything we see as a wrong in the past. The United States or many nations for that matter would not be able to exist with that policy.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Elgin Marbles

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I read two articles on the internet that provided some very interesting points in regards to the “Elgin Marble” which are better known as the “Parthenon Marbles.” Between 1801 – 1805, Thomas Bruce, Seventh Lord Elgin, procured the marble art and took them to Britain. Lord Elgin’s original intentions were to obtain some sketches and plaster casts made of the great sculptures and reliefs on the Parthenon and other nearby ruins. At the time Greece was under Ottoman rule. When Lord Elgin obtained his permit for his request, he was given access to take whatever he desired. It was further ordered that Lord Elgin and his agents were not to be hindered from taking away any pieces of stone with inscriptions and figures. This is equivalent to today’s political give and take. For many years, the Ottomans were thankful to Britain for assisting with the Napoleon. Eventually, Greece won their independence from Ottoman rule in 1829 and called for the immediate return of the sculptures. Now, back to Lord Elgin: with his all-inclusive permit in hand; he and his little party began to take some of the most renowned symbols of the golden age of classical Greeks. Lord Elgin had allowed greed to manipulate his original mission. He took advantage of the situation to such a degree; many British people thought Elgin had committed acts of cultural vandalism. In 1816, he was forced to sell the sculptures to the British Government to alleviate a great debt. Prior to the transaction between Elgin and Britain, a Parliamentary committee was selected to debate the legality of Elgin’s ownership. The British government decided to purchase the sculptures from Lord Elgin at half his investment and exclaimed they would be better cared for by their museum than returning back to Greece. My view on the proper location of the “Parthenon Marbles” is that of Greece. From the very beginning, the removal of the marble sculptures have had a…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Golden Age Of Athens

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Parthenon was built originally as a temple to all the gods and to this day is still one of the best preserved Ancient monuments with its 46 great columns. The Parthenon was built to supplant the temples of the earlier cultures prior and to experience also the great Greek goddess, Athena. Built atop the Acropolis, the Parthenon was built with brilliant white marble of…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Parthenon Marbles

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The importance of an artifact—historically, culturally, or as a symbol of a nation’s power—and who should own it is central to the debate of returning artifacts to their countries of origin. The argument predominantly revolves around the marbles removed from the Parthenon by the British Lord Elgin. While the Greek government does not recognize the British Museum as the owner of the Parthenon Marbles, it can be said that they did acquire them by the proper means of the time. Other countries have asked for previously removed artifacts, such as the Rosetta Stone and the Hamilton vases, to be returned, but the requests have been declined (Waxman, pg. 270). The matter is more complicated than one would expect, as either side of the matter of restitution…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rogerian Paper

    • 1546 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The controversy of whether the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles should be kept in Britain, or returned to Greece, has been a frenzied dispute since the early 1800’s. Lord Elgin originally took possession of the Marbles to either salvage them from being further destroyed, or he bought them and re-sold them to the British Museum. Whether Lord Elgin, ambassador to the then ruling Ottoman empire, had the authority to handle the Marbles presents great confusion, “[a]s to whether Elgin had legal authority to remove the marbles, the Ottomans being the ruling power, as the British maintain… “The problem is not legal,” he [Mr. Pandermalis] decided. “It’s ethical and cultural” (Kimmelman).The British can return the Marbles to Greece, where they originally belonged, or Greece can be satisfied with the casts of the Marbles. Despite the casts of the real Marbles in the Acropolis Museum in Greece, there are still requests by the Greek government to return the Marbles from Britain. Lord Elgin’s decision to salvage the Marbles finds a way to appear as vandalism in the eyes of others. Britain has a strong argument as to why they should remain the owners of the Marbles, but because of Greece’s ownership of the Marbles before Britain, and their capability of protecting the Marbles in the new Acropolis Museum, it is perfectly understandable as to why Greece believes the Marbles should be returned.…

    • 1546 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Parthenon Analysis

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Parthenon is the most important and perfectly formed temple on the acropolis. It is dedicated to Athena, and held an enormous cult image of her and was built as a temple of worship. It was regarded as an enduring symbol which holds high points of Greek art. The cost of the Parthenon cannot be translated into a modern equivalent amount of money but in the 5th century it cost them 469 silver talents. The Parthenon was made of local stone. Stone was denser, white, a finer stone but also much heavier. Blocks of stone were cut at the quarry using wooden wedges, hammers and chisel pulleys. The parthenon's main function was the house the statue of Athena that was create in 438 BC. The cella held the statue of Athena which meant it was an unusually…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays