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. It is fully capable to managing its own heritage, of having excellent museums to house its treasures, and the reasons that precipitated the rescue two hundred years ago simply do not hold today. As such, the marbles, like many other relics held in the museums of colonial powers, should be returned to their place of origin.

References

British Museum (2016). The Parthenon sculptures. British Museum.org. Retrieved February 14, 2016 from https://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/parthenon_sculptures.aspx

Selwood, D. (2015). Greece knows there is no legal right to the Elgin marbles. The Telegraph. Retrieved February 14, 2016 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11604991/Greece-knows-there-is-no-legal-right-to-the-Elgin-Marbles-thats-why-it-wont-sue-the-UK.html