36 Posts in Archaeology

Sunak said there are no plans to amend the legislation, which states the museum can only dispose of objects within its collection in limited circumstances. However, the museum could still arrange a loan of the sculptures. Since independence in 1832, Greece has repeatedly called for the return of the sculptures – known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles – that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century, when Greece was under Ottoman rule. Sunak is unlikely to break with the stances of his two predecessors who were both against any kind of loan of the marbles to Greece.   “The UK has cared for the Elgin Marbles for generations. Our galleries and museums are funded by taxpayers because they are a huge asset to this country,” Sunak told reporters on his plane as he flew to the United States.           “We share their treasures with the world, and the world comes to the UK to see them. The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change it.” The former finance minister George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, has been working on a new arrangement with Greece through which the sculptures could be seen both in London and in Athens. The Parthenon Project, which has been backed by British politicians from different political parties to settle the issue, said on Sunday the British Museum’s Parthenon collection could be returned to Greece under a long-term cultural partnership agreement.

Manolis Psarros, an employee of the State archaeological service, was beaten by an unidentified man with a possible accomplice in Athens last week and was left unconscious and bleeding in the street. The 53-year-old was taken to a State hospital in the Greek capital and is currently recovering at home. Archaeologists employed by the Culture Ministry staged a 5-hour work stoppage to protest what their association described as a “mafia-style attack.” Despina Koutsoumba, the head of the protesting archaeologists’ association, said Psarros has dealt with multiple cases involving alleged violations on Mykonos and had been called as a witness in the past in trials resulting from those cases. “He has no trouble in his personal life ‒ debts or anything like that ‒ that would justify anything like this. This was a professional attack,” Koutsoumba told The Associated Press. “He was struck from behind before getting into his car. He lost consciousness and was hit after that. He has broken ribs and extensive bruising.” The protest was joined by ministry employees in Athens as well as the national Association of Archaeological Conservators. They are seeking additional police protection for public officials involved in contentious inspections and will refuse to handle cases from Mykonos until the end of the month when they plan to visit the island. Planning permission in Greece is often subject to a veto by the local archaeological service, which is tasked with protecting the country’s ancient heritage. One of Greece’s best known holiday destinations, Mykonos was settled in ancient times and hosts an archaeological museum. It is located next to the tiny and uninhabited island of Delos, an ancient commercial, religious and political center that is considered one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites. “There are problems caused by the high level of tourism development on many islands, but Mykonos is by far the worst,” Koutsoumba said. The Hellenic Culture Ministry condemned the assault, while Mykonos Mayor Constantinos Koukas described the beating as a “criminal and brazen attack that has shocked us all.”

Greece has asked for others to imitate the Vatican Museums after they agreed this month to return three 2,500-year-old pieces of the Parthenon. London and Athens are in talks over the Parthenon Sculptures held by the British Museum. The Parthenon, which is on the Acropolis in Athens, was completed in the fifth century BC as a temple to the goddess Athena, and its decorative friezes contain some of the greatest examples of ancient Greek sculpture. Greece has repeatedly called for the permanent return of the sculptures, which British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the temple in the early 19th century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Greece's then-ruler. The Parthenon Project, which has been backed by British politicians from different parties, said the British Museum's Parthenon collection could be returned to Greece under a long-term cultural partnership agreement. They would be reunited with Greece's artefacts in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, "as a complete artistic work consistent with its creators’ vision," the campaign group said. The plans, which have been discussed with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Museum Chair George Osborne, would see a rotation of Greek masterpieces offered to the British Museum, including some that have never been seen outside Greece. The Parthenon Project said the agreement would be predicated on "the acceptance by both sides that this transformative cultural partnership is possible, despite the absence of a shared position on ownership of the Parthenon Collection." That would mean the arrangement sidesteps the requirement for a change in the law to allow the British Museum to dispose of its artefacts. Osborne has played down the prospect of a permanent return of the marbles, citing the potential legal hurdles, and instead suggested an arrangement where the marbles can be seen in both London and Athens.

The Vatican has termed the return an ecumenical “donation” to the Orthodox Christian archbishop of Athens and all Greece, not necessarily a state-to-state transfer. But it nevertheless puts pressure on the British Museum to conclude a deal with Greece over the fate of its much bigger collection of Parthenon sculptures. The head of the Vatican city-state, Cardinal Fernando Vergez, signed an agreement to implement the “donation” during a private Vatican Museums ceremony with Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and a representative of the Orthodox Christian archbishop of Athens and all Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II. The envoy, Father Emmanuel Papamikroulis, told The Associated Press that the Greek Orthodox Church and archbishop were grateful to Pope Francis for the deal. “It has taken place at a difficult time for our country, and it will hopefully provide some sense of pride and happiness. I hope this initiative is followed by others,” he said in a telephone interview from the Vatican, where he was touring the gardens after the signing ceremony. “This initiative does help heal wounds of the past and it demonstrates that when Christian leaders work together, they can resolve issues in a practical way,” Papamikroulis added. The fragments are expected to arrive in Athens later this month, with a March 24 ceremony planned to receive them. The British Museum has refused decades of appeals from Greece to return its much larger collection of Parthenon sculptures, which have been a centerpiece of the museum since 1816. Earlier this month, however, the chair of the British Museum said the U.K. and Greece were working on a deal that would see his institution’s Parthenon Marbles displayed in both London and Athens. The 5th century B.C. sculptures are mostly remnants of a 160-meter-long (520-foot) frieze that ran around the outer walls of the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom. Much of the frieze and the temple’s other sculptural decoration were lost in a 17th-century bombardment, and about half the remaining works were removed in the early 19th century by a British diplomat, Lord Elgin.

George Osborne said talks with the Greek government had been “constructive.” “I think there is a way forward where these sculptures ... could be seen both in London and in Athens, and that will be a win-win for Greece and for us,” he told the BBC. The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, mostly consist of the remnants of a frieze that ran around the outer walls of the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens. Carved in the 5th century BC, they were taken in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin and ended up in the British Museum, which for decades rebuffed Greek demands for their return. Athens argues the sculptures were taken illegally when Greece was under Ottoman Turkish occupation and should be returned for permanent display beside the other surviving Parthenon sculptures that are in the Greek capital’s Acropolis Museum. The British Museum i nsists it will not break up its collection, but there has been a change of tone recently as museums around the world seek to address concerns about the way ancient artifacts were acquired during periods of imperial domination and colonial expansion. The museum has said it wants a “Parthenon partnership” with Greece. Osborne, a former U.K. Treasury chief, said he was “reasonably optimistic” about striking a deal, but cautioned that “it may well not come to anything.” “It’s a very hard problem to solve but I think there is a way forward,” he said. In December, Pope Francis said he would send back to Greece three smaller fragments of sculptures from the Parthenon that the Vatican Museums have held for 2 centuries.

Currently, he said, "we are showing less than 10% of what we have in storage," while he also cited disappointing numbers of visitors that barely exceed 500,000 a year for a national museum with such a wealth of artefacts. The government's intention is to use private donations for the required reports, and national and EU funding to build the museum. The premier also referred to the new law approved in Parliament this week that changes the legal status of the National and another four museums. The change will provide them with greater independence from the Culture Ministry, and flexibility to claim their place in the global museum map, he said. Culture & Sports Minister Lina Mendoni said the National Archaeological Museum's expansion will revive the area around it and promote the national character of the museum, and hailed the project as a personal vision of Mitsotakis. The plans include a second building connected to the current one without overshadowing it, gardens, and a green square.

Responding to a question by KINAL-PASOK Deputy Dimitris Konstantopoulos, who said the government should be transparent about the issue. Greece does not recognize any claims or ownership of the British Museum over the Parthenon Marbles, as they comprise a product of theft, the minister reiterated, adding that "the government has been working from the start systematically, responsibly, and effectively to achieve the national goal - the return and reunification of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens and the Acropolis Museum."

In an interview with private broadcaster SKAI radio, the minister said this demand would be expressed “at all levels, both on the level of public opinion but also via the processes of UNESCO.” The recent comments by her British counterpart, Michelle Donelan, do “not end any discussion on the issue, since, essentially, the [Greek] prime minister, in his briefing with the President of the Republic, put the issue in its absolutely correct dimensions. There is communication. There are contacts, as I wrote recently. A negotiation is very difficult, but it is not impossible,” she said. On Monday, Donelan told the BBC that the sculptures “belong here in the UK” and should not be returned to Greece. Reports have suggested the museum’s chairman, George Osborne, is close to agreeing a deal with Greece but Donelan said that permanently returning them was “not his intention.” She said returning the sculptures to Greece would “open a can of worms,” be a “dangerous road to go down” and “open the gateway to the question of the entire contents of our museums.” Mendoni said: “The British culture minister is currently conveying her country’s fixed position but the Greek side will continue to apply pressure without moving from its own red lines, from its own fixed position.” [BBC]

Britain and Greece recently began fresh talks over a possible deal to end the long-running dispute. Greece has repeatedly asked the British Museum to permanently return the 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th Century when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. In a televised meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, conservative premier Mitsotakis, whose term ends in July, said he hopes to achieve the repatriation if he wins a second term. "I don't expect immediate results but I believe that we have already moved very systematically," Mitsotakis said. "If the Greek people trust us again, I believe we could achieve this target after the elections." Greece has accused Lord Elgin of theft and does not recognise the British Museum as owner of the sculptures. The Parthenon, which is on the Acropolis in Athens, was completed in the fifth century B.C. as a temple to the goddess Athena and its decorative friezes contain some of the greatest examples of ancient Greek sculpture. The British Museum has always rejected returning the parts in its collection, which include about half of the 160 metre (525 ft) frieze that adorned the Parthenon. The museum maintains they were acquired legally, citing British laws which prevent removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances. Advertisement · Scroll to continue However, recent news reports in both countries said an agreement between Athens and the museum was close to allow the sculptures to be returned as part of an exchange deal or loan program. Mitsotakis also said on Wednesday that Greece wants the antiquities returned so that, "not only we, Greeks, but everyone, including our visitors, see and enjoy this universal monument in its entirety, in its natural space, which is none other than the Acropolis Museum." British Culture Minister Michelle Donelan told BBC Radio on Wednesday the Parthenon marbles belong in the UK and that returning them would "open the gateway to the question of the entire contents of our museums." Many countries have pressured British institutions to return looted artefacts, especially given that the British Museum only displays about 1% of its collection. "Actually they do belong here in the UK, where we've cared for them for a great deal of time, where we've allowed access to them," Donelan said.

Greece has repeatedly called for the permanent return of the sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from the imposing Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century, when he was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Greece. The Greek government said last month it was in talks over their repatriation, and Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that an agreement had been drawn up between the museum’s chairman, former finance minister George Osborne, to allow them to be returned as part of an exchange deal. The paper reported such an arrangement, which would in effect be a loan arrangement, could be concluded soon. However, Greek officials have said discussions were at a preliminary stage. “We’ve said publicly, we’re actively seeking a new Parthenon partnership with our friends in Greece and as we enter a new year constructive discussions are ongoing,” the British Museum said in a statement. The museum, custodian of the “Elgin Marbles” which include about half of the 160-metre (525-ft) frieze that adorned the Parthenon, has always ruled out a permanent return for the sculptures, saying they were legally acquired and UK law prevented it from breaking up its collection. A spokesperson for the Greek government said there had not been any further discussions with British government officials recently, but its request for the return of the sculptures was ongoing. “There hasn’t been a new development on this front,” the spokesperson said. “The government with professionalism and full respect for all the parameters of this issue will continue to pursue the best possible result, aiming at the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.” 

According to the publication, the agreement will provide for a part of the Sculptures to be sent from the British Museum to Athens on a rotating basis in stages. In return, the Acropolis Museum could lend other objects to the British Museum while Britain could also get plaster casts of the Parthenon Sculptures. Bloomberg: Greece and Britain close to an agreement Earlier, the whole issue of an agreement regarding the Parthenon Sculptures between the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum had been shaken by the Bloomberg report. British media reported that the 2 Museums were close to an agreement that would see the Parthenon Marbles returned to Greece as part of a cultural exchange, ending a dispute over the historic objects dating back to the 1800s. It is recalled that on December 3rd, 2022, the British Guardian revealed that Athens and London were in preliminary talks about the Parthenon Sculptures. Read about: Guardian: Greece in preliminary talks with British Museum over Parthenon Marbles The latest Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named because the deal has not been formalized, said the deal would see a portion of the marbles sent to Athens on a rotating basis over a number of years. In return, other objects would be effectively loaned to the London museum, while Britain could also receive plaster casts of the Parthenon Sculptures. According to the same sources, intensive discussions continue and the agreement has not yet been finalized, while it is noted that the logistical infrastructure for moving the projects is also extremely complicated. An Athens-London deal on the Parthenon Sculptures, the report notes, would resolve a dispute that has plagued Anglo-Greek relations since the founding of modern Greece in 1832 and which has even threatened to add tension to the UK's already complicated Brexit negotiations. with the European Union. The Parthenon Sculptures - the publication states - are a collection of ancient objects that were transferred from the Acropolis to Athens at the beginning of the 19th Century by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Elgin "removed" - as noted in the publication - the sculptures from the ruins of the Parthenon under controversial circumstances and transported them to Britain. Greek governments have stepped up calls for their return in recent decades, in a long-running political and diplomatic dispute.  

This is to be a a gesture of ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. It was not immediately clear what plans Ieronymos had for the small sculptures. Spefically, the announcement stated that the Pope, "as a concrete sign of his sincere desire to follow in the ecumenical path of truth," has decided to make a "donation" to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Orthodox Christian Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, of the 3 fragments, which were kept for centuries with great care in the Pope's collections and in the Museums of Vatican and were on display to millions of visitors." The 3 fragments of Pentelic marble, which came into the Vatican in the 19th Century, are part of the decorative sculpture of the Parthenon, the temple built on the Acropolis at Athens by Pericles (447-432 B.C.). The figurative decoration of the temple is the creative genius of the Athenian sculptor, Phidias. The sculptures are remnants of a 160-meter-long (520-foot) frieze that ran around the outer walls of the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena, Goddess of wisdom. Much was lost in a 17th Century bombardment, and about half the remaining works were removed in the early 19th Century by a British diplomat, Lord Elgin. The head of a horse comes from the west front of the building, on which Athena and Poseidon were shown competing for dominion over Attica; the fragment here has been identified as the fourth horse pulling Athena's chariot. The relief with the head of a boy has been identified as one of the figures from the frieze that went round the cella of the temple: he is carrying a tray of votive cakes which were offered during the Panathenaic procession in honour of Athena. The bearded male head, however, has been attributed to one of the metopes from the southern side of the building where there was a battle between the Lapiths and Centaurs. The museums’ catalogue card for the horse head said it has been in the Vatican collections since 1823; the cards for the other 2 pieces did not have an acquisition date. The announcement of the donation comes the same month in which news outlets reported that senior officials from Greece, including its prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, have been in secret “preliminary” talks with the British Museum about its huge collection of marble sculptures from the Parthenon. Mitsotakis has made the repatriation of the collection a priority, The Guardian newspaper reported December 3rd, 2022. “We have seen progress,” he said, and a “win-win solution” was possible. The British Museum maintains it is the rightful and legal owner of the marbles, which it acquired from Thomas Bruce, the Earl of Elgin, who claimed he had permission to remove the sculptures in the early 1800s after approval from the government of the Ottoman Empire, which was ruling Greece at the time. The British Museum website said that “all surviving examples of decoration from the Parthenon are found in museums; there are fragments in Paris, the Vatican, Copenhagen, Munich, Vienna, Palermo and Würzburg. Of the 50% of the original sculptures that survived, about half are in the British Museum and half in Athens.” The Acropolis Museum in Athens has sought to re-create the complete 525-foot frieze with plaster casts of all the sculptures in foreign collections together with original pieces that were left behind or returned. The Vatican had loaned the fragment of the boy’s head in late 2008 for one year and it was displayed in the Acropolis Museum following a request for its return by the late Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos at a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. “All the artifacts in the museum belong to the Pope, only he can make a decision” about them," said Giandomenico Spinola, head of the Vatican Museums’ archaeological collections,  at the time of the loan. The Vatican thus becomes the latest Western state to return its fragments of the Parthenon marbles, leaving the British Museum among the holdouts. But the Vatican statement suggested the Holy See wanted to make clear that it was not a bilateral decision to return the marbles from the Vatican state to Greece, but rather a religiously inspired donation. The statement may have been worded in order not to create a precedent that could affect other priceless holdings in the Vatican Museums.