What are the Elgin Marbles and how did Britain get them?

28 November 2023

The Elgin Marbles have caused controversy for decades, as Greek and British politicians clash over the ancient artefacts.

But what are they and why are they so controversial?

What are the Elgin Marbles?

The Elgin Marbles are more than 30 ancient stone sculptures from Greece held in the British Museum, dating back more than 2,000 years.

They were transported to Britain in the early 1800s by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin.

How old are the Elgin Marbles?

Most of the pieces of the Elgin Marbles are from the Parthenon in Athens, a temple built by the ancient Greeks in the 5th century BC. There are also pieces from other temples in the area built around the same time.

But there are some which are much older, from the Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae. That was constructed between 1300 and 1250 BC, making them more than 3,000 years old.

They show scenes from Greek mythology

The Elgin Marbles decorated the walls and grounds of ancient temples and show scenes from Greek history and mythology.

The biggest stretches for 75 metres, showing a procession for the birthday of the goddess Athena, while others show gods, heroes or mythical creatures.

Were the Elgin marbles stolen?

Lord Elgin insisted he had permission to remove the sculptures from the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Athens at the time. But the original letter giving him permission has been lost and the wording of what remains is disputed.

In 2022, the Greek culture minister accused him of “a blatant act of serial theft”.

Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back

The British government bought the sculptures from Lord Elgin in 1816 for display in the British Museum. But when Greece became independent in 1835 the government asked the UK to return them.

It’s a request the Greeks have repeated for decades, including with the world heritage organisation Unesco.

Will they be returned to Greece?

Almost half of the sculptures from the Parthenon remain in Greece and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the separation is like “cutting the Mona Lisa in half”.

The Conservative Party insists the sculptures belong in Britain but Labour may allow a loan agreement between the British Museum and the Greek government.