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What Are the "Parthenon Marbles"?
What Are the "Parthenon Marbles"?
The Parthenon Marbles (also known as the Elgin Marbles) are a collection of ancient Greek sculptures that once decorated the Parthenon in Athens. Constructed between 447 and 432 BCE under the political aegis of Pericles and the artistic supervision of the sculptor Phidias, the Parthenon represents the definitive architectural expression of High Classical Greek civilization. The Parthenon functioned as a monumental votive to Athena, housing Phidias’s colossal gold-and-ivory cult statue, while simultaneously serving as the high-security treasury for the Delian League’s tribute. This dual role transformed the building into a literal and symbolic archive of Athenian culture, where the architectural sculptures were inextricably linked to the city’s religious identity and imperial wealth.
In the intervening centuries, the structure underwent a series of profound functional and symbolic transmutations over two millennia, serving sequentially as a Byzantine church, a Catholic cathedral, and an Ottoman mosque. In the early nineteenth century, they were removed by Lord Elgin, then the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and eventually sold to the British Museum, where they remain today. Greece has long argued that the sculptures were taken under conditions of imperial power imbalance and should be returned to Athens, where a purpose-built Acropolis Museum now stands within view of the Parthenon itself. The British Museum maintains that the removal was legal under the authority claimed at the time and that the sculptures are best preserved and displayed within a global museum context. The debate continues to raise complex questions about cultural patrimony, colonial history, museum ethics, international law, and who has the right to steward the material remains of the past.
Resources
“The Parthenon Sculptures,” The British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection/parthenon-sculptures.
Solomon, Tessa. “UNESCO Advisory Board Urges British Museum to Return the Parthenon Marbles.” ARTnews.com, October 4, 2021. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/unesco-advisory-board-urges-british-museum-to-return-the-parthenon-marbles-1234605592/.
“The Parthenon Gallery.” Acropolis Museum | Official website, n.d. https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/exhibit-halls/parthenon-gallery.
Parthenon 3D | Delara & Dr Juan de Lara. https://parthenon3d.com/
ARTH 385: GETTING SMASHED
ARTH 385: GETTING SMASHED
THE HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM, ART THEFT, AND VANDALISM
THE HISTORY OF ICONOCLASM, ART THEFT, AND VANDALISM
This public debate is part of ARTH 385, a course that examines the destruction, removal, theft, and restitution of cultural objects from antiquity to the present. Throughout the semester, students analyze how and why images and monuments are attacked, preserved, looted, or reclaimed, and grapple with the legal, ethical, and political frameworks that shape those decisions.
The debate on the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles serves as a midterm capstone, requiring students to research historical precedent, international law, museum policy, and questions of cultural patrimony before arguing opposing positions on whether the sculptures should remain in the United Kingdom or be returned to Greece. In order to be successful, students must practice public-facing scholarly communication, real-time rebuttal, and collaborative research—these skills will prepare them to engage thoughtfully with complex cultural heritage disputes in both academic and professional contexts.
Interested in the format? Get in touch and I'm happy to send along my assignment sheet.
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