Parthenon frieze

Thirty years in the making, the €130 million euro New Acropolis Museum is a stunning, if controversial, addition to Athen's famous architectural landscape and at the same time a provocative statement of intent by the Greek people.  In a fascinating talk in Dublin last night, Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the new museum took an enthralled audience on a tour of the history, architecture and intentions of the spectacular building.

Tonight at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, Director of the New Acropolis Museum Dimitrios Pandermalis will hold a what promises to be a fascinating lecture. 'Collections present and absent at the New Acropolis Museum, Athens' will no doubt touch on the 'missing marbles', the Parthenon Friezes currently held in the British Museum. Will Pandermalis launch another call for their return? Brian Dolan will be there to find out for Heritage Key. (update: the lecture) The lecture is organised by the IMA - Irish Museums Association - and will start at 18h30.

Lord Byron has been described as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know", but there is an other reason - besides his  regular escapades - why the British may have deemed this famous poet to be 'wicked'. Byron was a bitter opponent of Lord Elgin's removal of the Parthenon marbles from Greece, and "reacted with fury" when Elgin's agent gave him a tour of the Parthenon, during which he saw the missing friezes and metopes. He penned a poem, the Curse of Minerva, to denounce Elgin's actions. Although Byron never intended to publish this poem, a copy was stolen from him and printed without his approval.

When the British Museum is explaining why they should not return the Elgin Marbles - and how they acquired them in the first place - they often offer two old letters as proof of their entitlement on the Parthenon Friezes: a copy of letter written by Philip Hunt talking about the 'Firman', a letter of permission, as well as a translation of the Firman in Italian dating to 1801. But was 'feel free to ship half the Parthenon to Britain' really what the Ottoman Firman said?