No matter how certain establishments try to distort reality, there is one truth: the Parthenon sculptures are part of the Parthenon and belong to Athens. The Parthenon sculptures, and other sculptures of the Athenian Acropolis, like one of the six Caryatids from the Erectheion, were removed in 1801 by Elgin without explicit permission from the British government or from the Turkish sultan. This is what we would call 'theft' today.

It is also a fact that the sculptures were taken from the Acropolis without the consent of any representative of the Greek nation, as Athens was under Ottoman occupation at the time of the plundering. These facts are widely known, documented in international bibliography, yet not even mentioned by the British Museum today.

It is a fact that the Parthenon was designed, created and defended by Greeks in the ancient world. Who would have dared to imagine that 2,500 years later the Greeks would have their beautiful sculptures stolen by their fellow Europeans?

The Review of the Seizure
The Memorandum of the Greek Government for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles
Images of the Parthenon sculptures missing from Athens

Political frame  

Fact: Elgin was the British Ambassador to the Ottoman empire in the early 1800s. Fact: The Turkish sultan issued a vague firman allowing Elgin to study the Acropolis in Athens. Fact: At that time, Turkey relied on Britain for support in the defence of the Ottoman regime in Egypt. Fact: Elgin was in a critical financial state, and taking the Parthenon sculptures to Britain was an easy way out of his financial trouble.

Who would ever think that precious artistic creations would become the victims of politics, in the territory of a nation that was shedding their blood for independence? The Greek nation was politically and practically ignored by Elgin, revealing his ignorance of the origin and meaning of the Parthenon. Today, the same attitude is shown by the British Museum and some members of the English parliament - they ignore historical facts, the request of a fellow EU nation, and a cultural claim made by the international community.

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