I think that the question of whether Britain should return the Elgin marbles definitely can not be answered with a simple yes or no, otherwise I wouldn’t be writhing this blog. I feel that back when Britain “rescued” the marbles and put them on display in 1817, they were a much more civilized and developed country than Athens, Greece was. Therefore this raises the question of was Athen’s capable of properly housing, caring for, and protecting the Elgin Marbles. Who knows, if Britain never moved the marbles, they might not even exist today. However, since we cannot change the past, we must look at the fact that they do exist today, and are a focal point of Athenian and Greek culture. It would be similar to taking the Declaration of Independence from The United States. Therefore, I do feel that now Britain should return the stones or at least have some way of Athens buying or trading back for them.
View from the center of the exhibit
Statues from the frieze
War horse carved depiction
I do agree that this can not be answered with a single yes or no. However, I do have a few opinions about it that some may not agree with. First off, I do believe that it was not right for Britain to steel them from Greece. But on the other hand they most likely would not have existed today at all if they weren’t stolen. I think in the long run, Britain did a good thing for the Greeks because they still exist today. I also don’t exactly agree with it being related to the Declaration of Independence. There was no time where it risked being destroyed, and the US is a very developed country. I think that letting Athens buy or trade for them would be a good idea, except I don’t think Britain will ever do that. Overall I do agree they should return the stones so they can be returned to their place of origin.