"Lord Elgin's" Marble

The Elgin Marbles that are in possession under the British Museum are sculptures that were removed from the cultural heritage site known as the Acropolis, located in Athens, Greece. To elucidate, the Elgin Marbles (also known as the Parthenon Marbles) were taken specifically in the Acropolis from the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, a British ambassador that also represented the Ottoman Empire which were also the ruling power over the capital of Greece (Athens) at the time. The acting Earl of Elgin then gained a permit that was active for six years running its course in 1801-1805, where within that timespan he removed roughly half of the sculptures that were from the Parthenon. Furthermore, he removed more sculptures from the other buildings surrounding the Parthenon, which were the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaia. The artworks were then transported from the Parthenon and arrived in Britain, later taken by the British Museum under Act of Parliament. In 1983, an official formal request regarding the Elgin Marbles was formed, calling for the artworks that were taken from the Parthenon and surrounding areas in the Acropolis to return to their rightful place. However, regardless of the acting Greek government denying that the acting Earl of Elgin got the marble sculptures legally, there have been no discussions amongst the British Museum or the government of Greece for the return of the Elgin Marbles. This topic is controversial and requires settlement on a sound conclusion regarding this issue in art history; along with the return of the Elgin Marbles to the Acropolis, located in Greece, from the British Museum. This subject in archaeology and related fields of study is something that has been an ongoing issue between both respective parties involved. However, after examination of the Elgin Marbles initially taken from the Acropolis world heritage site; it is strongly suggested that the artworks should be returned to their original place at Athens, Greece. The artworks after examination and input from Mr. Konstantinos Karamanlis (a former prime minister of Greece) creates a very compelling argument. The artworks that were taken from their rightful place should be returned to their country of origin.

The first artwork examined which makes up the Elgin Marbles collection has its tallest point measured to be 4 feet 5 inches (approx. 1.34 meters). It is dated to 438 - 432 BCE (5th Century BCE) and was taken from the East Pediment (the upper triangular section of a building which is usually at the front) of the Parthenon. The artwork depicts three goddesses from Greek Mythology: Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite (in order from left to right). Each from the trio of goddesses presents themselves herein this artwork with their respective elements from the polytheistic, mythical religion of the Ancient Greeks. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, home, and hospitality. Dione is a character in the famous and foundational literature work: Iliad by Homer, where she appears as the mother to the goddess?Aphrodite (however she may be also interpreted as the mother of Dionysus; the god of wine or simply as the daughter of the eldest titan in Greek Mythology Oceanus). Moreover, the final third goddess present in the artwork, Aphrodite, was the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and all aspects of sexuality concerning Greek Mythology. Moreover, these three goddesses were a part of stories told in the artworks within the Parthenon; representing the birth of Athena along with a rise of the subsequent Athenians, a scenery concentrated in the East Pediment where the artwork was originally from prior to the acting Earl of Elgin removing it. This specific depiction of these three goddesses meant a lot to any member of the capital of the Greek Empire long ago in ancient history, due to the strong sense of patriotism it generated; resulting in love for one’s own country (this could also extend to nationalism, where pride is created for one’s country instead). This is understandable, as Ancient Athenians were indeed members of the Greek Empire and they were the ones who built & lived around the Acropolis where the Parthenon is kept to this day in Athens, Greece. The artwork of Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite from the East Pediment is very dynamic, the bodies that are used in the depictions of the goddesses are extremely lifelike. This brought the stories that all Athenians told and spread from the realm of the polytheistic religion birthed within the Greek Empire into reality. The East Pediment in the Parthenon then was something very important not just for Athenians, but the Greek Empire as well. The Parthenon visualizes a shared belief amongst the Greek Empire, and this would transform a temple that would be commonly seen as a place for worship, into a place for patriotism and/or nationalism depending on the citizen.

Another second artwork that makes up the Elgin Marbles examined herein is a temple relief from the Parthenon, originally in the West frieze (a broad horizontal section reserved for certain artworks) of the Parthenon; made in 438 BCE - 432 BCE (5th Century BCE). The relief depicts two horsemen and the artwork’s meaning concerns the birthday of Athena (the Ancient Greek goddess designated to have properties of wisdom, warfare, and crafting) due to the artwork itself showcasing a scenery from a festival conducted consistently by the Ancient Greeks known as the Panathenaic Festival. Other notable information regarding the horsemen duo depicted includes the location of holes around the horseman on the left, indicating that a metal wreath would surround their faces in the 5th Century BCE when they were at the Parthenon during the time of the Ancient Greeks. The important thing to note in this artwork, is that the horsemen duo comes from the West frieze, yet it’s the second block that makes up the West frieze. This implies that the artwork then was from a particular section of the Parthenon, that told a story about Athena’s birthday, making this artwork special to not just the Acropolis itself but the Ancient Greek culture as well; especially is the case with the Athenians, since the festival falls on Athena’s birthday.

The third artwork is a part of the same location where the artwork of Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite was taken. This marble removed from the Acropolis via the acting Earl of Elgin’s permit concerning the East Pediment (the upper triangular section of a building which is usually at the front) of the Parthenon, depicts gods such as the goddesses mentioned prior. The third artwork mentioned here specifically depicts the god Helios and his horses, and an unknown male being on the right. The male being is most likely either Dionysus (the god of wine in Ancient Greek Mythology) or possibly Herakles (a mythological hero in Ancient Greek culture). The third artwork was made in 438 - 432 BC (5th Century BCE), and its greatest height is 4 feet 3 inches (approx. 1.3 meters). This artwork was in the East Pediment with the statue of the other goddesses mentioned earlier herein; however, it is highly important to note that the East Pediment was destroyed even before the acting Earl of Elgin took the artworks from the Parthenon.

Furthermore in 1674, a French painter named Jacques Carrey illustrated the East Pediment prior to acting the Earl of Elgin enacting the power from his permit to remove marbles from the Acropolis, which is vital to understanding the older appearances and subsequent history of the Parthenon post-Greek Empire. Interpretations furthermore of the East Pediment to this day are at times based on what he sketched due to the important details encapsulated within the illustration. However, the East Pediment was eventually damaged prior to the detrimental effects of the then acting Earl of Elgin’s arrival yet after Jacques Carrey’s illustration of the East Pediment; due to Christians attempting to occupy the space of the Parthenon itself for the purpose of making it into an aspe. The purpose for building such a structure in the Parthenon is an action toward converting the structure into a church for the Christians to use for their own purposes separate from what the Ancient Greeks would’ve wanted, which greatly harms and goes directly against the historical value of this wonder of the ancient world and the especially unique beliefs from Greek Mythology surrounding the artworks and surrounding areas.

Therefore, it is evident from the evidence provided that the Parthenon’s lengthy history from the ancient world should be respected and should continue to retain the properties of its cultural past & brilliant architecture showcased in the modern-day; to preserve its original appearance, artworks, and the kind of patriotism and/or nationalism it stands for concerning the country of Greece to the best of its ability, with the help from art historians and related company. To accomplish this to a greater degree for the sake of absolute preservation of the Acropolis itself, the Elgin Marbles must be returned to Greece if the country follows through with such a negotiation for improving the current state of the Acropolis overall. This in turn would set a positive standard, for the prevention of harmful imperial archaeology and instead promotion of ethical behavior amongst art historians and archaeologists alike within the study of the Ancient Greek Culture and the subsequent history they have left behind. To be fair toward museums who own potentially controversial artworks like the Elgin Marbles currently held and on-display at the British Museum; it is possible to create a replica of a given artwork for the sole purpose of being displayed at a museum, as the means to do this are available to us in the modern-day and have been implemented before. For instance, in the United States of America the Harvard Art Museums located in Cambridge, Massachusetts has replicas of famous artworks such as King Hammurabi’s Code of Laws to show case the influence it had on the ancient world coupled with innovative ideas for its time.