With the completion of the Acropolis museum in Athens, the argument concerning the Elgin marbles has once again come to the forefront of debate with what is arguably a clear and simple argument. Greece wants them back, please.
Cut away from the almighty Parthenon temple that stands on the Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon marbles are one of the British museum’s most cherished possessions. Like crack to a junkie, the museum just won’t let them go, citing the notion that the marbles were bought and paid for by the British Parliament in 1819 as proof of ownership. However, there is a catch; Lord Elgin procured the collection with the permission of the Ottoman Empire, which at the time was occupying Greece, so in essence, Greece never really gave the go-ahead for the sale, their occupiers did.
This argument never seems to gain credibility in the British world and some of the views expressed by supporters of the British museum are nothing more than downright insulting. A certain Guardian ltd. Arts Blogger, who will remain unnamed, recently launched a scathing attack against the Greek claim to the marbles. In his words, he believed that the British Museum should stand its ground, denouncing Modern Greece’s claim to a cultural identity linked to the Greek city states that created classical Hellenic culture. At this point it might be worthy to note that the Greeks refer to themselves as Hellenes and Greece as Hellas.
To continue, the writer goes on ‘to say [that the assumption that] Greek classical art belongs to modern Greece is to demean the universal legacy of Ancient Athens.’ Is this man really saying that Athens has no claim to these marbles? If that is the case, who does? Well, according to him, Britain,obviously. Shame on Greece for claiming a history related to the very antiquities that exist on its soil, and how dare Athens claim cultural connections to an Ancient city that can be found in every crevice of the modern city itself. If this man’s theory is taken into account, doesn’t that mean the British have no claim to the heritage symbolized by Stonehenge or the Tower of London? After all, as a house of Imperial Kings and Queens, the Tower of London bears a universal legacy, too, doesn’t it?
While national museums of the world tend to house collections directly related to the history of their country and respective areas, which is exactly what the National Archeological Museum of Athens contains and the Museum of Iraq once contained, the British museum seems to house a history of colonial pursuit; sort of like a gruesome little shop of humanitarian horrors. There are collections from Africa, Oceana and the Americas, Ancient Egypt and Sudan, Greece and Rome, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Now, I adore the museum for what it is and the knowledge it houses, but does it reflect the mindset of Empire and the belief that it is Britain’s birthright to own these treasures and reap the benefits of owning them?
In certain respects, this is fair enough. It can be argued that if Elgin had not taken the Parthenon Marbles they would have eroded with time. Athens did not have the infrastructure or the money to protect the treasures of the Acropolis. Historically speaking, this is how most of the relics from around the world ended up in foreign museums. Wealthier countries took advantage of poorer nations in order to buy priceless historical items at bargain basement prices. Because they had the capabilities to store them, these museums became the guardians of world history.
But does that make it right? Take the Venus De Milo, discovered in a cave by a Greek goatherd who was eager to sell. He needed the money and was not in a position to pass up such an opportunity. Times were tough for a majority of the Greek population and the market for antiquities was booming. Again, the sale was conducted through the Ottomans and what percentage the goatherd received is unknown. But what is clear, was that most of these sales occured duringa time of occupation when most of the population was demoralised and living in poverty. Could it be said that the Greeks and their situation were taken advantage of? Or would that be playing the victim card?
The captain who transported the Venus de Milo to its new home wrote in his diary that ‘Greek brigands’ unsuccessfully attacked the ship in an attempt to take the statue back. These ‘brigands’ were in fact resistance fighters who were part of the struggle for Greek independence. They were simply trying to take back what was theirs to begin with. Their anger was not so much about the Venus de Milo as it was about self-respect, control and ownership of their culture. First the Ottomans took Constantinople, the spiritual heart of Greece, then they took Athens, the cultural and intellectual hub of a once great civilisation, and now the European powers were taking what remained of their history. Of course, to be the head of an Empire is great, but have we ever considered what it’s like to be at the mercy of one?
For the Greeks, the argument concerning the Parthenon marbles is more than one of ownership. It is the fight to reclaim a heritage that they feel was taken away from them. Of course, this idea harks back to the argument asserted by our gentleman writer that the Greeks bear no cultural claim to the Parthenon marbles. In his conclusion, the gentleman noted that to return the marbles would be to ‘endorse an insidiously racist view of the classical legacy.’ What I would like to know, is whose legacy is he talking about?
There is nothing racist about returning indigenous artifacts back to their place of origin, particularly when, as is the case of the Parthenon marbles, the transaction to procure the pieces was not as transparent as one would like to think. In the big picture, what seems to be insidiously racist is the idea that those marbles and the history that they carry with them belong to Britain. Perhaps it is time to wake up and remember that the Empire is dead, and that the British are not Greeks. Though I would love to have those marbles available to me on my doorstep, I think it is time for Greek children to bear witness to their past. Becuase that is exactly what those marbles represent. Greece’s past. Not ours.