Parthenon Sculptures: Athens asks London to return them in the most official way
The request will be made by the Prime Minister himself, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to the British counterpart of Boris Johnson, on Tuesday, during his visit to London.
It is a well-prepared and “evidenced” step, as Greece claimed the previous period and succeeded – through UNESCOto recognize the request for their return Sculptures of the Parthenon as one intergovernmental issue and not as a claim against a museum – the British Museum.
In addition, one of the dominant and vital arguments of the country is that the Parthenon Marbles are not like the other cultural goods whose countries of origin claim their return. It’s about parts of one of the top monuments of world heritage and in the request for their return the need is “reflected” reunification of its parts, so that this monument finds its whole again.
Mitsotakis request to Boris Johnson
The Prime Minister clarified his intentions in the interview published on Saturday in the British newspaper The Telegraph and to the journalist Gordon Rainer. Ahead of his upcoming visit to London, the prime minister referred to the Parthenon sculptures, noting that a change of attitude by the British government to return the cultural treasure could be in a settlement.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated: “Our position is clear. The Sculptures were stolen in the 19th century, they belong to the Acropolis Museum and we must discuss this issue seriously and honestly. The refusal to discuss the subject of the Sculptures seems to me – given what has happened regarding the return of cultural treasures – as an anachronistic approach “.
“You must be able to appreciate the beauty of the monument in its fullness. We are not just talking about another monument, we are talking about a monument that has essentially been “cut” in two, half is in Athens and the other half is in the British Museum. Therefore, we are talking about the restoration of the entirety of the monument “.
“It’s going to be an amazing message from what Boris Johnson He calls it “Global Britain” if there is a movement on this issue and looks at it through a completely different perspective.
“I am sure that there was a will on the part of the government (of the United Kingdom) for a change of attitude.
“I do not want to go into details about a settlement because these discussions are sensitive, but I want to say openly that my intention is to raise the issue with Boris Johnson and that I believe the British government has a role to play.”
A day earlier, during his speech, at Paris, in celebration of 75th anniversary since its inception UNESCO raised the issue of their return Sculptures of the Parthenon.
“The United Kingdom should enter into a bona fide dialogue with Greece. And I ask them to do it. After all, they are being completed this year 200 years from the beginning of the Struggle for the Independence of Greece. There could not have been a better time than this for the return of the missing section and the reunion of the Parthenon Sculptures, in the place where they were born“Greece,” said the Prime Minister.
The UNESCO decision
It is noted that in September 2021 a crucial step was taken by its Intergovernmental Committee UNESCO to Promote the Return of Cultural Property to Countries of Origin.
For the first time, a decision was adopted recognizing that the case does not concern conciliation between museums, but is of an intergovernmental nature and, therefore, the obligation to return Sculptures of Parthenon concerns his government United Kingdom.
Her issue Returns of the Parthenon Sculptures was one of the main items on the agenda of the 22nd Session of its Intergovernmental Committee UNESCO for Return of Cultural Property to Countries of Origin (ICPRCP).
As reported by Ministry of Culture, For the first time this year, the Commission, in addition to the Recommendation (Recommendation), which it has consistently adopted on the subject, unanimously voted on an additional text which is a Decision (Decision 22 COM 17), exclusively aimed at the issue of the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
The added value of the Decision is that the Commission expresses its strong dissatisfaction with the fact that the resolution of the issue remains pending, due to the United Kingdom’s position. In addition, it urges the United Kingdom to reconsider its position and enter into a good dialogue with Greece, emphasizing the intergovernmental nature of the dispute.
The text of the Recommendation reflects, among other things, the Commission’s concern that the Duveen Gallery at the British Museum, where the Parthenon Sculptures are on display, is closed to the public due to its confirmed restoration work.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, after the completion of the work of the Intergovernmental Return of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin (ICPRCP), from 1984, when it was first done by Melina Mercouri, until today “.
The sculptures that are missing from the Parthenon
As Culture points out on a special page for Marbles, “the sculptures of the Parthenon are not self-existent works of art. They were created as architectural and symbolic parts of the temple of Athena, built in the 5th c. BC, at the height of ancient Greek civilization. The conception of the original idea, has been designed with the construction of the building, is transformed into the balance of symmetry and is formed with the triangle formed by the metopes, the frieze and the pediments. The monument is fully understood only with its sculptures and these sculptures acquire their true conceptual existence only near the temple, in their natural and historical environment.. The Parthenon has stood as a top monument for 2,500 years and is the highest symbol of democracy, philosophy and harmony. It is the timeless monument-symbol of Western civilization. UNESCO chose the Parthenon as its emblem and included the archeological site of the Acropolis in the list of World Heritage Sites. The Parthenon is also the first entry in the European List of Cultural Heritage.
»Of the 97 surviving stones from the Parthenon frieze, 56 are in London and 40 in Athens.. Of the 64 surviving metopes, 48 are in Athens and 15 in London. Of the 28 surviving gable forms, 19 are in London and 9 in Athens. The frieze of the Parthenon is considered to depict the Panathenaic Procession. The metopes depict: on the east side the Giant Battle, on the west side the Amazon Battle, on the north the Trojan War and on the south side the battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths. The east gable depicts the birth of Athena, while the west gable depicts the dispute between Athena and Poseidon over the custody of Athens.
The following parts are preserved from the sculptural decoration of the temple:
Metopes
East Side (Giant Battle)
- at the Acropolis Museum: all the metopes (14) – copies have been placed at the monument
West Side (Amazon Battle)
- in their place in the monument: all the metopes (14)
North Side (Trojan War)
- in their place or in the Acropolis Museum: 13 metopes intact or in fragments
South side (Centaur fighting)
- in its place in the monument: 1 metope
- at the Acropolis Museum: 11 metopes intact or in fragments
- at the British Museum: 16 metopes intact or in fragments (fragments of 6 of them are also kept in the Acropolis Museum)
Gables
East gable (birth of Athena)
- at the Acropolis Museum: 4 forms (C, H, N, P)
- at the British Museum: 10 forms (A, B, D, E, F, G, K, L, M, O)
West gable (match of Athena and Poseidon)
- at the Acropolis Museum: 8 forms (B, E, J, K, S, U, V, W)
- at the British Museum: 4 forms (A, P, Q, T)
- Fragments of the same form in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum: 6 forms (C, H, L, M, N, O)
Frieze
It depicted the Great Panathenaic Sea and consisted of 115 stones (119 relief surfaces, since the corner stones are numbered twice). Of these, 112 stones are preserved complete or in fragments. Particularly:
West side (all 16 stones survive)
- at the Acropolis Museum: 13 stones
- at the British Museum: 2 stones
- fragments of the same stone in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum: 1 stone
South side (41 stones survive)
- in their place in the monument: 2 stones
- at the Acropolis Museum: 12 stones
- at the British Museum: 24 stones
- fragments of the same stone in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum: 3 stones
North side (46 stones survive)
- at the Acropolis Museum: 24 stones
- at the British Museum: 15 stones
- fragments of the same stone in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum: 7 stones
East side (9 stones survive)
- at the Acropolis Museum: 3 stones
- at the British Museum: 1 stone
- fragments of the same stone in the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum: 5 stones