A British Museum trustee has told AlJazeera that rumours of talks between the Greek government and the museum about the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens, Greece are ‘overhyped.’
In the interview with Al Jazeera, Mary Beard, a British Museum trustee since 2020 and Professor of Classics at Cambridge University, said: “There is certainly movement, but it is being overhyped.”
Ms Beard added that relations between the United Kingdom and Greece around the Parthenon Marbles should change after 200 years.
“There is real desire to do something. Surely we can get somewhere better than where we are… Is the problem going to be resolved? I’m not sure,” she said.
Greeks have been protesting for the return of the marbles since their removal from the Acropolis in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin. At the time, Lord Elgin was an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Greece.
Since their removal, Greece has repeatedly called for the permanent return of the ancient sculptures. Yet Britain has been defiant, saying the sculptures were legally acquired and UK law prevents it from breaking its historical collection.
Source: Al Jazeera
READ MORE: ‘Difficult but not impossible’: Greek Culture Minister on return of Parthenon Marble.
