Elgin Marbles

Do artefacts belong to the state in which they come from? Moreover, do they belong to the particular site in which they come from?

There are many examples but most famously are the so called Elgin Marbles, however more appropriately named the Parthenon Marbles.

(Photo courtesy of http://krikor1887.blogspot.com/)

A couple months ago, I was in Greece. It was a lifelong dream, and now I can cross off "Standing on the Acropolis" on my bucket list. I always thought that the Acropolis would be a surreal experience. It wasn't.
A few days before I actually bought my ticket to go up to the Acropolis, I walked around Athens and found myself climbing up to the Areios Pagos. From here I gained my most memorable experience from my trip to Greece. All by myself, I sat there looking out onto the city of Athens at sunset, with the Acropolis to my right, listening to the classical guitar of street performers. This was the experience I wanted, but I wouldn't realize it until I finally sat food on the Acropolis.

To sum it up: the Acropolis is hectic. Its hard to get around and on the quietest day, it is difficult to avoid being pushed and shoved in various directions by other tourists. The noise is so immense that I could hardly hear what the tour guide was saying. Having had background knowledge on the Acropolis prior to visiting the site helped me in that I didn't really have to listen. However, in a group of about 20, I was the only one who had studied classics, besides the tour guide. I began to think how many others in this group of hundreds had background knowledge on the beautiful architecture they were now viewing.
By the end of my trip, I no longer cared. I sat myself down and looked at the view of the city, occasionally looking at the ruins of the Parthenon and the Erechtheum.
This wasn't what I had hoped for.

Before entering the Acropolis, our tour guide sat us all down and gave us some background information on the site. A bulk of her speech surrounded the Elgin Marbles, which she (and most Greeks) wanted back. According to her, the Brits had stolen them, ruined them, and refused to give them back. I agreed. The marbles were taken. Stolen? I'm not too sure. No one can prove that Elgin had concrete permission to take the marbles. Ruined? Yes. It seems that the British museum has a history of "cleaning" its artefacts. Should they be returned? In my opinion, no.

If the Elgin Marbles were to be returned, it would set a precedence that all artefacts that are not from the site or state in which they originated would have to be returned. The only reason I disagree with artefacts being returned is that not all people who love to learn about past civilizations have the means to travel across the world. Museums in different parts of the world serve as a mini-vacation of sorts. For example, children from the greater Toronto area can go to the ROM and visit the Greek exhibit and see statues and busts and learn about the past of a country thousands of miles away. If all artefacts are returned, how can those who don't have the means to travel, learn and study about the past? Yes, books are available, but I find that it is a great gift to take children to museums so that they gain a visual experience. It is must more important to teach children from different nations about the past and pride of other nations, to gain knowledge and respect for antiquities. I would just like to reiterate that I am not against the return of the marbles themselves, just the consequences the return would have on other museums around the world.

One could argue that no one can truly learn from museums because the artefacts are out of conext. Therefore, I wonder what the Greeks would do if the marbles were returned? Would they put it in a museum (the one thats actually right beside the Acropolis)? Would it still be considered out of context? Or could plaster moulds of the originals be made and put on the acropolis (like the Caryatids) as a compromise?

While I was in Athens, I saw the new building for the Acropolis Museum, which has yet to be opened. I believe that he Greeks are hoping that the Elgin Marbles will be returned before its grand opening. However, the British Museum has a a strict policy they will not return any artefacts. But why? An outstanding majority of Brits believe that the marbles should be returned. Is the museum afraid of the consequences I mentioned above? Do they think they will have to return everything? Perhaps the museum could return the marbles, end the animosity and create new legislation preventing the return of other artefacts. Or maybe that will just start the vicious cycle all over again.

Someone once told me that the British Museum was the biggest repository of stolen property. Maybe thats why they don't want to return any artefacts. Perhaps that something the museum just doesn't want to admit.

The British Museum is probably by far the most famous and most visited museum in the world. Therefore, I can assume that visitors will gain more knowledge of the ancient Greeks and the marbles themselves with them being at the British Museum.

Perhaps the Elgin Marbles don't just represent history, but something much more complex. Greece has been an independent nation since 1821 and had been occupied by many different groups since the reign of Philip of Macedon. Perhaps the Elgin Marbles represent the stolen history and pride of the Greek nation.

Tourism

A few months ago, I travelled half-way around the world. It had been a life-long dream come true, and I would now see the ancient sites of the lost civilizations that had once fascinated me. I assumed that once I had arrived in Turkey, I would be in awe and amazement of the grande ancient architecture, instead I found myself to be ashamed of the long term effects my presence in this country.

On a day trip in Cappadocia, our group headed to an underground city that had been used against the Persians many many centuries ago. I was very excited at first to crawl through the various kilometres of ancient tunnels. As the bus drove down the long rural roads, I began to lose interest in all that had once fascinated me and led me to majoring in Classical Studies. Abandoned houses scattered the landscape, and some homes were so decrepit and fallen apart that it would have been easy to assume that they were condemned. However, when looking closer, I realized that a lot of these homes were still inhabited by the rural Turkish population. Roofs were held down by rocks and walls were crumbling down.
After visiting the underground city in Cappadocia, I bought a few handmade dolls from some local women. Each were about 1 lira, which with the exchange rate, was very inexpensive. The dolls were a great novelty purchase, but once I was back on the bus, examining the dolls, I realized that selling souvenirs to tourists like myself was probably one of the only sources of income for these women.

Throughout the trip, our bus would pull off to tourist shopping spots and our tour guide would encourage us to "help the economy." Naively, never having had travelled before, and being from a well developed country, I assumed that the money I had spent to get to Turkey and while in Turkey would trickle down to the rest of the population. I was supposed to be focusing on and critically thinking about ancient sites, but eventually my mind was primarily concerned with the people living in Turkey today. As a tourist, what was my obligation to them? Was it to visit these beautiful sites which have been standing for thousands of years? Or was it to purchase goods at the end of each visit? I decided, in the end, that my reason for visiting Turkey was not to learn about the past. After visiting a local school in central Turkey and seeing the conditions that the youth had to study in, as well as their ethusasium to learn, I had decided that I was living my life selfishly and had taken for granted everything I had been given. I was to travel back to Canada with the lesson that not expected to learn. Lessons that weren't available in a text book or on-site pamphlet. I had learned much more about the world today, the effects of poverty, and the differences in values and economics between borders.

As I had mentioned earlier, I visited many ancient sites in Turkey, and afterwards, in Greece. Many of these sites, like Ephesus, Olympia, and the Acropolis I had learned about in school so I was very excited to actually set foot there. However, I wondered what effect my being there would have. By walking through, touching, and even sitting in these ancient theatres, buildings, etc. was I inadvertently destroying what was meant to be preserved? I never truly will know the answer to this question. What I do know is that these sites provide the state with which its in economical benefits as well as serve as national symbols. Closing these sites from the public would not only taken away the monetary benefits, but also the symbolism and pride that they hold. Moreover, the sites themselves promote archaeology. Everyday people, most of whom do not have any background knowledge of the sites of archaeology itself, marvel still at the beauty of the architecture and landscape as well as applaud the archaeologists that have spent their lives reconstructing and learning from these sites. It seems that archaeology and tourism cannot exist without the other.