by Sarah Betensky, senior at Riverdale Country School
When I went to the British Museum, the exhibit I was most excited to see was the Parthenon frieze, a series of different marble sculptures depicting people, gods, and animals. The frieze ran for 160 meters around all four sides of the Parthenon in Athens, but now, about half of the remaining pieces of the frieze are being displayed here in London.
Here is some context: At the very beginning of the 19th century, Thomas Bruce, Seventh Earl of Elgin, set out to “document and mold antiquities” in Greece. He believed that by documenting these artifacts, he would be able to make them accessible to those in Elgin’s country who had never been able to see them before. However, Elgin did not simply document these artifacts. Instead, he “dismantled artworks from the temples on the Acropolis” and brought them back with him to Britain. These works have been labeled as the “Elgin Marbles,” and now most of them are on display in the British Museum. Throughout history, many have called for the return of these ancient artifacts to Greece.
While the British Museum continues to argue that the Elgin Marbles will be more accessible and inspiring to the public if they remain in London, other historians and those who work in the Acropolis Museum in Athens argue that the Parthenon Frieze is an emblem of Ancient Greek culture and should be displayed in its complete form, in Athens, where it “rightfully” belongs. If you are interested in learning more about this cultural debate, I highly recommend that you watch this video.