History Memes

Until an embarrassingly big age, I thought the parthenon marbles were literal marbles (as in spherical glass). this was despite having seen them irl at the british museum, having to sketch them for art class etc. and STILL not making the connection between the ancient greek statues and the ‘marbles’. One day I guess I just thought, ‘well I better look up these damn marbles for myself and see what all the fuss is about’… and the penny finally dropped 💀

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles

From 1801 to 1812, Elgin's agents removed about half the surviving Parthenon sculptures, as well as sculptures from the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaia, sending them to Britain in efforts to establish a private museum. Elgin stated he removed the sculptures with permission of the Ottoman officials who exercised authority in Athens at the time.[4] The legality of Elgin's actions has been disputed.[5]

Their presence in the British Museum is the subject of longstanding international controversy. In Britain, the acquisition of the collection was supported by some,[6] while others, such as Lord Byron, likened Elgin's actions to vandalism or looting.[7] A UK parliamentary inquiry in 1816 concluded that Elgin had acquired the marbles legally.[8] Elgin sold them to the British government in that year, after which they passed into the trusteeship of the British Museum. In 1983, the Greek government formally asked the UK government to return them to Greece, and listed the dispute with UNESCO. The UK government and British Museum declined UNESCO's offer of mediation. In 2021, UNESCO called upon the UK government to resolve the issue at the intergovernmental level.[9]