[Reader-list] The Elgin Marbles and British Arrogance!

[Avishek Ganguly]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2791877.stm
 
'No return' for Elgin Marbles: 

The director of the British Museum has said that the
Elgin Marbles should never be returned from Britain to
Greece. 
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Neil
MacGregor said the sculptures, which once adorned the
Parthenon temple in Athens, should remain in London. 

He has also ended discussions with a British campaign
group seeking their return to Greece. 

The 2,500-year-old sculptures depicting religious and
mythological scenes have been held at the British
Museum since 1816, despite ongoing Greek efforts to
have them repatriated. 


It is a very happy result of history that half of
these surviving fragments... are in London 
Neil MacGregor 
Mr MacGregor, who became museum director six months
ago, has issued a firm ruling certain to dismay Greek
authorities. 
He believes the sculptures can "do most good" in their
current home, seen in what he describes as a broader
historical context. 

He told the Sunday Telegraph: "I do not believe there
is a case for returning the marbles. 

"It is a very happy result of history that half of
these surviving fragments of these sculptures are in
London. 

"They have a purpose here because this is where they
can do most good. 

"The British Museum can situate the achievements of
these Greek sculptures in the context of the wider
world." 

'Virtual' Parthenon: 

He wants the Greek Government to accept a
computer-generated version of what the sculptures
would look like back on the Parthenon. 

"The Parthenon can never be reconstructed so let's try
and put together what's left of it virtually," he
said. 

Late last year, Greece stepped up its campaign to have
the marbles returned to their place of origin. 

Work has even started on the construction of a new
museum at the Acropolis in Athens to house them in
time for the summer Olympic Games in the city next
year. 

That plan now looks unlikely. 


Asked if he thought the sculptures should never be
returned, Mr MacGregor said: "Yes. The British Museum
is one of the great cultural achievements of mankind:
it is very important that there is a place where all
the world can store its achievements. 
"Lots of people would agree that there should not be a
special case for the Parthenon. 

"I personally don't see any difference between Greek
visual culture and the visual culture of Italy and
Holland, which is also spread around the world." 

Mr MacGregor's comments and decision to end
discussions have also angered the British Committee
for the Restitution of the Marbles. 

The group's chairman, Professor Anthony Snodgrass,
said: "I would only be happy with a virtual reality
version if they were put in the British Museum as a
replacement for the originals." 

Diplomatic row: 

The controversy over the sculptures has a long
history. 

They were first brought to London in the early 19th
Century by British diplomat Lord Elgin. 

Athens first called for their return in 1829, after
Greece won independence from Turkey. 

The issue has simmered ever since. In 1961, the then
prime minister, Harold Macmillan, described it as
complicated. 

Successive Greek Governments have exerted diplomatic
pressure, but all efforts to repatriate the marbles
have failed. 

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/2791877.stm




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