The case for returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece

Elgin marbles are a collection of marble statues that were produced in ancient Greece, and have been held on display at the British Museum, free of charge, since 1817 (British Museum, 2016). Most of the statues came from the Parthenon. The controversy surrounding the statues is that they were removed at the beginning of the 19th century by Lord Elgin. The Parthenon was in a state of ruin and under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire, and the statues were removed for posterity to London. A recent study by the Greek government determined there was little likelihood of winning the statues in a court of law, but the issue remains contentious from an emotional perspective for the Greeks (Selwood, 2015).

For the Greeks, this is an emotional issue. The marbles' removal was authorized by the Ottomans, not the Greeks, and the marbles are one of the most important cultural treasures for the Greeks that are not currently in Greek possession. The British feel that they rescued the statues -- most of the rest were destroyed over the centuries -- and that the British Museum is representative of all human history (Selwood, 2015).. Ultimately, however, Greece today is a modern democracy, if an imperfect one.