British Museum
As discussed in your textbook on page 133, in 1801 Lord Elgin purchased Parthenon sculptures from the Turks who were occupying Athens at the time. He shipped them back to England and, subsequently, sold many of them to the British Museum where they are today. Since 1925, pressure has been placed on the museum and the British government to return the sculptures to the Greeks who claim they were obtained illegally. For this discussion you will be considering this case. To get started, read the articles at the links below. Keep in mind that most articles written by British journalists or commentators tends to be heavily biased toward keeping the sculptures in Britain.
1. On overview of how the sculptures were obtained: How Did the Marbles Get Here? [or copy and paste this URL in to your browser: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30342462]
2. A debate between proponents of each side of the issue: Duel: Should We Return the Elgin Marbles [or copy and paste http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/regulars/duel-should-we-return-the-elgin-marbles]
DISCUSSION QUESTION
Should Great Britain return the Elgin marbles to Greece? Base your response on information obtained from the video from the British Museum about the marbles that is in the Learning Module or on the articles posted here.
Answer preview to British Museum
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