Greece has been campaigning for three decades for their return.
British museum greek marbles.
The current britishmuseum director invokes revisionist history and discredited museological principles as the british museum rules out loaning parthenon marbles to greece instead insisting.
Mendoni said saturday that the marbles were loot and greece would never recognise the british museum s claim to the friezes.
The 2 500 year old sculptures were illegally torn off the parthenon in the 1800s taken to england and sold to the museum in 1816 by lord elgin.
A british museum spokeswoman confirmed that it allows a stolen goods tour run by an external guide.
It was the centrepiece of an ambitious building programme on the acropolis of athens.
She said the elgin marbles were acquired legally with the approval of the ottoman.
The parthenon sculptures in the british museum.
Greece 1050bc 520bc.
The director of the british museum has provoked anger by suggesting the removal of the parthenon marbles from greece in the 19th century could be seen as a creative act.
Advocates of the british museum s position also point out that the marbles in britain receive about 6 million visitors per year as opposed to 1 5 million visitors to the acropolis museum.
Graham barclay bwp.
The objects were removed from the parthenon at athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to england by arrangement of thomas bruce 7th lord elgin who was british.
Ian jenkins the parthenon sculptures in the british museum british museum press 2007 ian jenkins greek architecture and its sculpture in the british museum british museum press 2006 mary beard the parthenon profile 2002 william st clair lord elgin and the marbles 3rd edition oxford university press 1998.
Plan and book your visit.
Elgin marbles collection of ancient greek sculptures and architectural details in the british museum london where they are now called the parthenon sculptures.
Sculptures which form part of the elgin marbles taken from the parthenon in athens greece over 200 years ago on display at the british museum in london england.