Did Greece Lose their Marbles?
At the Ohio State University, I took a course in archaeology that taught me about the Elgin Marbles. I was first exposed to the controversial topic of the Elgin Marbles through the eyes of Greece. The archaeology course focused on the many excavations of Greece, so I learned the importance of the marbles to the Acropolis and the entire city of Athens. I understood why the Greek peoples wanted their property returned. The Parthenon needed its marbles to convey the immense importance of the past Greek civilization. The marbles were a central part of Greek culture.
During my experience in London, I received the privilege of seeing the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum. When studying the marbles through the eyes of the British, it became harder for me to decide who I thought should have the marbles- Greece or Britain.
After considering arguments for and against Britain keeping the marbles, I could not decide who I thought should be in possession of the marbles. There are too many unanswered questions. Were Elgin’s intentions to get rich quick like Henrich Schliemann or uncover the past for the good of humanity? Were the marbles better preserved by being in the British Museum as opposed to any Greek museum? Does the Parthenon belong to the entire world or its country of origin? Who should cultural property belong? Does returning the marbles lead to every country returning the artifacts they have taken from the origin countries? For now, I take comfort in the fact that the marbles are safe, clean, and freely observable in the British Museum. Selfishly, I am glad they are in London because otherwise I may not have ever gotten to see them. I pity the separation of the marbles from the Parthenon and I hope that Lord Elgin had educational intentions for excavating.
Seeing the marbles for the first time created inner conflict. I found them magnificent and breath-taking. My mind was attempting to wrap itself around the fact that the marbles are from circa 432 BC. Because I previously learned about Greek mythology and the excavation of the Acropolis, I found the marbles to be my favorite artifacts that I had ever seen. My passion for Greek culture and architecture heightened the excitement. However, the moment was bittersweet. It was hard to appreciate the marbles apart from their “mother”, the Parthenon. It felt wrong for the marbles to be separated from Greece, the country which birthed the mythological art upon the rocks’ surfaces. The fact that the marbles were in London instead of Athens stole away from the stunning quality of the experience.
After seeing the Elgin Marbles for myself, I feel that John Keats was a bit dramatic in writing, ‘On Seeing the Elgin Marbles’. The marbles did not make me fall weak. I was not dizzy, nor did I have thoughts of my mortality. His words did align with one of my thoughts: “Bring round the heart an undescribable feud”. The grand display of sculptures made me think constantly of who should rightfully have the marbles in their possession.
I also did not expect the British Museum to have a large quantity of marbles from the Parthenon. Upon walking into the hall of marbles, I was shocked to see how much Lord Elgin took back to Britain. I figured he took a few pieces of the frieze circling the entire Parthenon and a few metopes from each side of the Parthenon, but no. Lord Elgin carried off both pediment sculpture scenes, half the frieze, and fifteen metopes. It makes me sad to think of what is left for the Greeks to enjoy on the Parthenon.
In my opinion, ‘In the British Museum’ by Thomas Hardy was also overly dramatic. Hardy’s mind conjured up Christian visions when seeing the Elgin Marbles. He felt the sculptures were so moving that he could hear, “The voice of Paul”. When seeing the marbles, I gave no thought to Christianity. They were ancient masterpieces of art and architecture. The only religion I thought of was pagan religion. The friezes and pediments are littered with Greek gods and goddesses. After all, the entire Parthenon is dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom. My reaction was similar to Hardy’s in that we both assumed only a few marbles were taken from the Parthenon. Hardy said, “It is only the base of a pillar… That came to us”. To our surprise, Lord Elgin had taken much, much more.
The acquisition of the Elgin Marbles highlights the power of Britain during the age of the British Empire. Allegedly, Lord Elgin received permission to excavate the Acropolis from the Turkish authorities. Another possibility is that Lord Elgin swooped into the Acropolis and did as he pleased and took what he wanted. Either way, I believe Lord Elgin’s excavation shows Britain’s domination as one of the world’s greatest imperial power of the time (around 1815). The Turks felt compelled to make way for the man representing the British Empire- either they felt forced to give permission or they stepped aside and did not fight what the British man wanted to do in their territory.
