The greek government has disputed the british museum trustees legal title to the sculptures.
The greek and british controversy regarding the elgin marbles.
Some suggest that lord elgin bribed turkish officials and effectively stole the marbles.
The british defend their ownership of the marbles based on greece s lack of an adequate museum and the fact that they paid for the pieces mcguigan 2.
Curently the elgin marbles constitute one of the most important collections of the british museum.
The elgin marbles are a source of controversy between modern britain and greece it s a collection of stone pieces rescued removed from the ruins of the ancient greek parthenon in the nineteenth century and now in demand to be sent back from the british museum to greece.
γλυπτά του παρθενώνα also known as the elgin marbles ˈ ɛ l ɡ ɪ n are a collection of classical greek marble sculptures made under the supervision of the architect and sculptor phidias and his assistants.
The final shipment of the elgin marbles reached london in 1812 and in 1816 the entire collection was acquired from elgin by the crown for the sum of 35 000 about half of elgin s costs.
They were originally part of the temple of the parthenon and other buildings on the acropolis of athens.
15 of the 92 original metopes from the parthenon representing the fight between the centaurs and the lapiths.
Today much controversy surrounds the ownership elgin marbles both the british and greeks argue that each have legal and moral claim over the parliament s marble adornments.
The parthenon marbles greek.