General Issue: The Marbles are devided conflict between Greece and British

museum
Issue for the document: The Parthenon Marbles the British Museums
defense
What arguments do they put forward for keeping the marbles?
I.
Defend Elgins actions/ Justify his action Paragraph 2: structure and sculpture were damaged, so it cant be re-attached
(it cant be put back together),
its an excuse to keep it, it sounds like an excuse to keep it
It was a temple, this became a church and after a mosque.
This mean its not only Greek, it belongs to all people since it was a place for
Islam and Christianism.
Elgin gave a new life to the Greek culture, and British Art.
So he created an interest for Greece which wasnt there before. In the text
he was a hero. He thought he was saving the sculptures because he thought it
would be lost forever.
II.

The British Museums arguments seem as/ come off as a defense of

the Greek

Paragraph 3:
In Elgins time (at the beginning of the 19thc), The Ottomans empire (Turquey ),
OE had power over Athens.
They were probably allies/ They might have been allies
they took it with the OE permission (disregarded the Athenian decision
power).
?? (time expression) Athens isnt under the OE rules.
British Museum can give back the structures to Athens, there is prescription.
Conclusion: The British museum pays tribute to Elgin.
Previously, we saw that the British Museum make money of Greek sculptures
but in the text it says that its not the case because the entry is free.
Although its free, they make money from the shop and the goodies.

The marbles are useful in London, because the historian are studying them.
They are working with colleagues at the acropolis museum. It is a spirit of
collaboration: if they are sharing the marbles then they dont have to be in
Greece.
The BM is a trust for art.
-->According to the British Museum: the Greek point of view: all of this is a lie,
fake, illegal.
However, BM said Elgin had a permission to take sculptures so, it was ok!
Paragraph 6 shows:
The legal battle doesnt stand against the BM arguments.
The Greek can seem shallow.
It is a way to protect their back.