The Greeks still want their missing marbles

"We stole this... We actually didn't steal that" made for entertaining commentary from my friend and unffocial British Museum guide Steve.

The museum's 94 galleries chronicle three ancient civilizations: Egypt, Assyria and Greece -- and the Greeks are still fuming about the Elgin Marbles. In fact, the ongoing dispute was the subject of a recent article in The New York Times.

They could have gone to Scotland
Originally part of The Parthenon in Athens, the marble sculptures were removed by British diplomat Lord Elgin and sold to the British government during the early 19th Century. Elgin, who eventually became the British ambassador to Constantinople, at first intended the marbles as decoration for his private residence in Scotland, according to the NYT article.

The marbles sustained serious damage in 1687 (hence the missing heads) when the Greeks were at war with the Ottomon Empire, so prevention of further deterioriation has always been one argument for keeping them where they are.

The photo below shows the pediment sculptures, originally above the columns at The Parthenon's main entrance. The statue at far right is Hebe, cup-bearer of the gods. The setting, according to Rick Steves' London 2012, is an Olympian banquet where Athena, godness of wisdom, is born fully formed from Zeus' brain.

While the Elgin marbles were high on my list of must-see British Museum attractions, Steve also suggested a walk through the Sutton Hoo exhibit. That's the topic for the next post. You follow by email or subscribe if you'd like to be notified when it's published.