“Fui is very clear about this, I don’t think they are [os frisos] Return to Greece”, argued British Culture Minister Michael Donnellan in a statement to the BBC.
The person in charge of the Culture Department said British Museum chairman George Osborne also agreed with the intention not to return the sculptures and said they “really belong in the United Kingdom”.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Greece has officially demanded the return of the 75-meter frieze detached from the Parthenon, as well as one of the famous caryatids from the Erechtheion, a small ancient temple on the Acropolis. British Museum.
The sculptures form part of a 160-meter-long frieze that runs around the outer walls of the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis, dedicated to Athena.
Most of the monument was lost in a 17th-century blast, and the remaining half of the work was removed in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin.
The Parthenon was built between 447-432 BC and is considered the crown jewel of classical architecture. The frieze depicts a procession in honor of Athena. Some small pieces of that frieze – and other Parthenon sculptures – can be found in other European museums.
London says the sculptures were “legally acquired” by British ambassadors in 1802, who sold them to the British Museum.
But it says that these were “loots” when Athens was under Ottoman occupation.
On January 4, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the museum’s president was closing a deal with Athens to return the treasures to Greece as part of a long-term loan called “cultural exchange,” which would violate British law that prevents the London museum from disposing of its collection.
“I think perspective [de George Osborne] This subject has been misrepresented and misrepresented. This is not his intention and he has no desire to do so,” assured the minister.
“The idea of a 100-year loan also came up, but that was definitely not what he planned,” he insisted.
The minister said he feared the return of the sculptures would open “Pandora’s box”.
In recent years, there has been increased pressure on Western museums to return works, particularly those acquired during the colonial period, to their countries of origin.
Also read: The Pope returned the Parthenon sculptures from the Vatican to Greece
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
