Elgin Marbles

The Elgin Marbles or Parthenon Marbles are a series of ancient Greek sculptures of relief made from marble. They were originally part of the Parthenon temple in Athens but they were taken by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin in the early 1800s.

The Elgin Marbles on display in their own gallery at the British Museum

Many people, including the Greek government, have argued that Elgin stole the marbles and did not take them legally.^[1] They are on display in the British Museum. The Greek government asked to have them back many times. In 2014 UNESCO offered to mediate but the museum declined. ^[2]

History of the removal

In Britain, the acquisition of the collection was supported by some,^[3] while others, such as Lord Byron, likened Elgin's actions to vandalism or looting.^[4] A UK parliamentary inquiry in 1816 decided that Elgin had got the marbles legally.^[5] Elgin sold them to the British government in that year, after which they passed into the trusteeship of the British Museum.