Sculpted marbles from the Parthenon on display at the British Museum, London, Monday January 9, 2023. DANIEL LEAL/AFP
Hopes that the British Museum’s Parthenon friezes would soon be returned to Greece were quickly dashed. The British government curtailed information provided by The Telegraph newspaper on January 3, rejecting any project to return this 75-meter-long ancient treasure that had been claimed by Greek authorities for decades. “I said that very clearly: I don’t think they do [les frises] should return to Greece, Conservative culture secretary Michelle Donelan ruled in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday 11 January. They belong in the UK, where we have looked after them for a long time. »
In his eyes these sculptures were legally acquired by the British diplomat Lord Elgin in 1802 before being sold to the British Museum. “The purchase is legal, but it can be argued that Greece was under Ottoman occupation at the time,” French archaeologist Jean-Paul Demoule told Le Monde, recalling that the new Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, was built from the start at , the place of the Elgin marbles was intended, which are currently occupied by casts whose summary character is an invitation to replace them with authentic pieces. »
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In early December 2022, the Greek daily Ta Néa claimed that secret negotiations between the two countries on the issue had been going on for more than a year. British Museum President George Osborne, former Chancellor of the Exchequer in David Cameron’s government, is said to have met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at least twice. In the same month, Pope Francis also made a mark by announcing the return of three fragments of the Parthenon, kept in the Vatican Museums, to the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens. On January 3, The Telegraph took over by assuring that George Osborne was on course to strike an agreement with Athens for the return of these fragments to Greece on a hundred-year long-term loan.
No clear position
“It’s certainly not his intention,” Michelle Donelan disagreed, believing George Osborne’s position had been “misinterpreted.” For them, this restitution would set an unfortunate precedent by opening “Pandora’s box.” The British Museum is already being targeted by Nigeria, which is demanding the return of 900 Benin City bronzes held by the London museum. But a 1963 law, drafted after Africa’s independence to protect against claims from newly liberated colonies, drastically limits the museum’s transfer capabilities.
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