art History

Name

Professor

Course

12 July 2008

The Controversy of the Parthenon or Elgin Marbles

The Parthenon is one of Greece 's architectural marvels . This ancient piece of art has exemplified the knowledge and the skills of the Greeks in producing massive but perfect structures . As a result , people from across the globe have visited this monumental Greek to admire its beauty and pay tribute to richness of the Greek heritage . In fact , many have used the design and aesthetic of the Parthenon as the basis for understanding the realm

of architecture and also appreciating the history and the culture of the Greeks

However , in the early 19th century , an unexpected event happened that caused a controversy in which the Greeks and the British debated about the ownership of a piece of Parthenon . The subject of this argument was the Parthenon marbles or famously known as the Elgin Marbles . The marbles are fragments of sculptures from the Parthenon . It is composed of a frieze by Phidias , a caryatid , a column from the Erechtheum Greek gods , and many other mythological creatures (Barett The Parthenon (Or Elgin ) Marbles . The British argued that their acquisition was legitimate and that their intention was for the preservation of the marbles which then were vulnerable to possible looting by forces of Napoleon , a French revolutionary . Meanwhile , the Greeks demanded that the Greek artifact be brought back to its homeland They believe that the marbles belong to the Parthenon where it originated . This delicate can be seen in different perspectives Both parties were able to give valid reasons on why they should be considered as the rightful owners of the Parthenon marbles . Choosing the right possessors of the marbles will be hard . But in the end , there should only be one owner which is either the Greeks or the British

The controversy started with Thomas Bruce also known as Lord Elgin who was then a diplomat from the British Government to the Ottoman Empire ' Based on some s about Bruce , he was a colorful and privileged ' individual . He enjoyed his status as well-respected official which was attributed to the victory of the British over the French in Egypt . The French then were the former colonizers of the Ottoman Empire . Another characteristic of the Lord Elgin that might have commenced this dilemma was his passion for art and his enthusiasm for collecting precious antique artifacts . He was not even contented with just taking snapshots of the Parthenon he wanted to get some sculpture pieces to take back in England probably to display or to add up in his collection (Bregman The Real Story of the Elgin Marbles . He thought that when he brought a piece of Parthenon to England , he will establish himself as the arbiter of taste in London by becoming the authority on Greek

antiquities ' and the likelihood of being promoted will be evident Moreover , Lord Elgin 's desire grew further when the Chaplain to the British Embassy in Constantinople ' convinced Elgin to use his powers...