Elgin Marbles (redirected from Parthenon marbles)

Elgin Marbles (ĕl`gĭn), ancient sculptures taken from Athens to England in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, 7th earl of Elgin; other fragments exist in several European museums. Consisting of much of the surviving frieze and other sculptures from the Parthenon, a caryatid, and a column from the Erechtheum, they were sold to the British government in 1816 and are now on view in the British Museum. Since then, the Greek government has demanded the return of the marbles. Although British claims are based on Elgin's purchase of the sculptures, Greece has contested this, and its position has many supporters.

Bibliography

See T. Vrettos, The Elgin Affair (1997).

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Elgin Marbles

Lapith fighting a Centaur; detail of a metope from the Parthenon at Athens; one of the Elgin …

(credit: Hirmer Fotoarchiv, Munchen)

Collection of ancient Greek marble sculptures and architectural fragments in the British Museum. They were removed from the Parthenon in Athens and other buildings by Thomas Bruce, Lord Elgin (1766–1841), ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and shipped to England between 1802 and 1811. Elgin claimed he was saving the works from destruction by the Turks, who then controlled Greece. He secured permission from the Turks to remove “any pieces of stone” bearing figures or inscriptions. They remained in his private possession, amid mounting criticism, until 1816, when the crown bought them. The controversy still continues; the Greek government frequently demands their return.