Elgin Marbles
Controversial British antiquities
The Elgin Marbles are ancient Greek sculptures removed from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and now housed in the British Museum.
They include friezes, metopes, and pediment figures.
Greece has long sought their return, making them a prominent case in debates over cultural repatriation: The dispute over the Elgin Marbles continues to strain Anglo-Greek relations.
Ornamental architectural band
- pedimentTriangular architectural crowning element
- caryatidsSculpted female architectural supports
- AthenaGreek wisdom deity
- PericlesFifth-century Athenian statesman
Acropolis · bas-relief · drapery · torso · horsemen · centaurs · gods · procession
Prolonged public disagreement
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- debateFormal argument on issues
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
restitution · provenance · legality · patrimony · dispute · claims · cultural identity · international law
Recrystallized limestone rock
- statuaryThree-dimensional carved figures
- carvingShaping by cutting away
- reliefEasing of distress
- classicalOf ancient Greece/Rome
Hellenistic · antiquity · masterpiece · figures · horses · deities · warriors · anatomy
London antiquities collection
- acquisitionAct of obtaining something
- removalAct of taking away
- Ottoman EmpireTurkish sultanate, 1299-1922
- shipmentGoods being transported
display · gallery · exhibition · catalogue · visitor · tour · curation · artifacts
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- damageHarm or impairment
- cleaningRemoving dirt and mess
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
weathering · British Museum · climate control · fragments · reunification · stewardship · archaeology · condition
frieze
Ornamental architectural band
- pedimentTriangular architectural crowning element
- caryatidsSculpted female architectural supports
- AthenaGreek wisdom deity
Pericles · Acropolis · bas-relief · drapery · torso · horsemen · centaurs · gods · procession
controversy
Prolonged public disagreement
colonialism · restitution · provenance · legality · patrimony · dispute · claims · cultural identity · international law · Greece
marble
Recrystallized limestone rock
classical · Hellenistic · antiquity · masterpiece · figures · horses · deities · warriors · anatomy · drapery
British Museum
London antiquities collection
- acquisitionAct of obtaining something
- removalAct of taking away
- Ottoman EmpireTurkish sultanate, 1299-1922
shipment · display · gallery · exhibition · catalogue · visitor · tour · curation · artifacts · antiquities
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- damageHarm or impairment
- cleaningRemoving dirt and mess
pollution · weathering · British Museum · climate control · fragments · reunification · stewardship · archaeology · condition · deterioration
marbleize, marbler, marmoreal, marbleized, marbleizing, Elgin