Tag: Greece - Part 8

New Acropolis Museum’s Opening Night: Elgin Argument Intensifies

After much heartache, and a building project which ran five years behind scedule, Saturday saw the doors of Athens’ New Acropolis Museum finally throw open its doors to the public in a triumphant blaze of pomp and ceremony. But Greek officials took the chance to highlight the country’s claim for the ‘stolen’ Elgin Marbles’ – 75 of the original 160 pieces of the magnificent marble friezes which once adorned the city’s famous Parthenon.

The night itself was a glittering success, with hundreds of foreign dignitaries and celebrities flooding the museum’s floors to get a first glimpse at its myriad masterpieces from Greece’s golden era. Yet for all the pageantry and glamour, no-one could hide the fact that many of the country’s most prized assets were conspicuous by their absence. A large room in the NAMreplicates exactly the measurements of the Parthenon, with sufficient room to house The Elgin Marbles. The marbles have long been the subject of heated debate between Greece and Britain, whose diplomat Lord Elgin took the treasures in 1811 amid confusion over an Ottoman firman (excavation permit). Ever since its 1821 independence from the Ottomans, Greece has demanded the marbles be returned to Athens – a plea which has so far fallen on deaf British ears. The British Museum, which currently displays the prized pieces in their own grand hall, has long argued the validity of Elgin’s removal. And the NAM’s opening has only resulted in the BM’s offering a loan deal – something the Greeks flatly refuse, as it would effectively legitimise Elgin’s actions. Greek President Karolos Papoulias reignited the debate on Saturday, by claiming: “It’s time to heal the wounds of the monument with the return of the marbles which belong to it.” However his Culture Minister Antonis Samaras was less subtle in his assertions, calling the marbles’ plight an ‘enforced exile.‘

There’s no doubting the New Acropolis Museum’s credentials as one of the world’s most spectacular museums. Yet can this awesome building provide the pressure the Greeks need to get their marbles back? Only time – and plenty of wrangling, no doubt – will tell.

New Acropolis Museum Finally Opens

This Saturday Athens’ stunning New Acropolis Museum throws open its doors in a $4.1million opening ceremony, following years of heady anticipation. Thousands of foreign dignitaries and heads of state are scheduled to arrive from all over the world – all except Britain. The opening of Greece’s most lavish museum has already thrown open the debate surrounding the 160m-long Parthenon marble friezes, taken by the British Lord Elgin in 1811. Britain has long since argued that Greece does not have a sufficient space in which to display the magnificent marbles – a claim Greek officials argue the New Acropolis Museum shatters. “On this momentous day, at this historic site, we appeal to everyone around the world who believes in the values and ideas that emerged on the slopes of the Acropolis, to join our quest to bring the missing Parthenon marbles home,” said Greek Culture Minister Antonis Samaras. Samaras calls the marbles’ plight an ‘enforced exile’.

The British Museum, where the friezes are currently held in a huge hall, have moved the goalposts somewhat by stamping their legal right to display the artefacts. They were taken by Elgin following a firman issued by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over an unwitting Greece for almost 500 years until 1821. “I think they belong to all of us. We are all global citizens these days,” said British Museum spokeswoman Hannah Boulton. Still, the NAM’s 150,000sq m of exhibition space, with over 4,000 ancient items on display, is sure to put pressure on the British to return the prized marbles.

Image by Christos Vittoratos.

A Lion, a Turkey And a load of Marbles

Lord Elgin isn’t the only Brit taking the blame for removing some of ancient Greece’s greatest marble treasures – and the Parthenon is far from the only place raided by a zealous Brit in a bid to bring the ancient world to the smoggy streets of London. During an extensive dig carried out between 1857-59, Newton and his merry band of hacks travelled to the Ottoman – now Turkish – peninsula of Datca, where they began excavating the famous merchant city of Knidos – a picturesque Monte Carlo of the ancient Greek world, famous for its wealth, opulence and magnificent treasures. Not content to take a few snaps and enjoy the landscape, Newton and his men hauled many of the marbles aboard their ship and set sail for Blighty, a move which would have had far graver consequences a couple of thousand years back.

Still, this was the age of fierce colonialism and the boundless British empire – surely no-one would stand in Newton’s way as he lumped all the Greek masterpieces in the British Museum (where it now takes pride of place in the vast complex’s Great Court)? Well, no. But now, one of the fabled city’s most fearsome objects – the giant Lion of Knidos – is the crux of a repatriation battle between the Republic of Turkey and the United Kingdom.

And just as Greece has persevered in its chasing of Elgin’s pilfered Parthenon prizes, so the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism looks like taking a hard stance with the Brits. Datca’s mayor, Erol Karakullukcu, says: “In order to keep the public aware that these sculptures were made in Data thousands of years ago, and that they were taken to be exhibited in Britain, we made marble replicas of the original sculptures and exhibit them at the city park. These sculptures are part of this area,” he adds, “and they are the products of the regions inhabitants of thousands of years ago. They should be brought back to where they belong.” Judging by the museum’s belligerent response to the Elgin saga, few will be holding their breath for Mr Karakullukcu.

Image by Jon Himoff.