In 1801 the Elgin marbles, so called, were stripped from the Parthenon in Athens where they had sat for thousands of years, and sold to the British government in 1816. There are aesthetic arguments. That they are one piece of work divided, and if half of the crown jewels of England were in Athens, we would think it strange. There are political arguments. That the marbles were bought from an occupying force. There are custodial, financial, and legal arguments… I don’t know these well, and I prefer it that way. This argument to send them back to Greece is a different one.
Individuals can have character, and I do not think it is too much to ask that nations do too, no more or less than we give them of ourselves. England has a long tradition of class in both the positive and negative sense. Wouldn’t it build the character of England in that positive sense of high quality, rather than social category, to return the marbles to Greece. Wouldn’t it be of higher merit to say with their return, that Greece may be a small country, but no matter how dire the circumstances, no matter how much Greece owes Europe, that Europe can never repay the debt that they owe to Greece. For democracy, for mathematics, for astronomy and philosophy, literature, mythology, and drama, architecture and sculpture, for the lessons of Greece’s own history. Wouldn’t that be a rare touch of prestige, and make one more proud to be English than coveting the Grecian marbles. The word Europe means ‘wide-gazing,’ but to see far sometimes you have to look inwards. Wouldn’t it help to earn that original Greek meaning, and fortify the souls of the two countries.
Maybe England saved the marbles, protected them, loved them, but we could only say that is true if England sends them home to their rightful place in the seat of western civilization, to be bathed in the aegean light in which they were born. It is not too late.
Matthew Cameron 
In 1801 the Elgin marbles, so called, were stripped from the Parthenon in Athens where they had sat for thousands of years, and sold to the British government in 1816. There are aesthetic arguments. That they are one piece of work divided, and if half of the crown jewels of England were in Athens, we would think it strange. There are political arguments. That the marbles were bought from an occupying force. There are custodial, financial, and legal arguments… I don’t know these well, and I prefer it that way. This argument to send them back to Greece is a different one.
Individuals can have character, and I do not think it is too much to ask that nations do too, no more or less than we give them of ourselves. England has a long tradition of class in both the positive and negative sense. Wouldn’t it build the character of England in that positive sense of high quality, rather than social category, to return the marbles to Greece. Wouldn’t it be of higher merit to say with their return, that Greece may be a small country, but no matter how dire the circumstances, no matter how much Greece owes Europe, that Europe can never repay the debt that they owe to Greece. For democracy, for mathematics, for astronomy and philosophy, literature, mythology, and drama, architecture and sculpture, for the lessons of Greece’s own history. Wouldn’t that be a rare touch of prestige, and make one more proud to be English than coveting the Grecian marbles. The word Europe means ‘wide-gazing,’ but to see far sometimes you have to look inwards. Wouldn’t it help to earn that original Greek meaning, and fortify the souls of the two countries.
Maybe England saved the marbles, protected them, loved them, but we could only say that is true if England sends them home to their rightful place in the seat of western civilization, to be bathed in the aegean light in which they were born. It is not too late.
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