Elgin

Popular British actor and writer Stephen Fry has compared Lord Elgin's removal of the Parthenon sculptures from Greece to Nazi Germany stealing the Arc de Triomphe during the occupation of France.

One of the world's most intractable cultural disputes is back in the spotlight after a Turkish official cast doubt on the existence of proof long cited by Britain that it had legally acquired the Parthenon Marbles , 2,500-year-old sculptures taken from the Acropolis in Athens.

In a significant development expected to bolster Greece's stance, Türkiye has thrown its support behind the neighboring country's ongoing campaign to reclaim Elgin Marbles from the United Kingdom.

The director of the Acropolis Museum reveals to protothema.gr how the Greek side has proven that the firman of Elgin, cited by the British, is not authentic

It was an August morning in 2014 when Greek archaeologist Tatiana Poulou walked across the gardens to the entrance of Broomhall House, the family seat of the earls of Elgin in Scotland. "I was nervous, I admit. I was about to study his unpublished archive and the only thing I was interested in was the historical truth - whatever it may be," she tells Kathimerini nearly a decade later.

It was no ordinary breakfast gathering. In June 1808, Sir Anthony Carlisle, a surgeon and leading member of London's elite, had prepared a surprise for his all-male, art-loving toffish guests, taking them to a room where boxing champion Bob Gregson stood posed like an exhibit.

A moot court is aspiring to test legal arguments, and become a model for future legal actions, on the issue of the ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures and the fact that Lord Elgin did not pay customs taxes for the import of the Parthenon Sculptures.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ruled out changing a law which prohibits the British Museum handing the Parthenon marbles permanently back to Greece.

Sunak said there are no plans to amend the legislation, which states the museum can only dispose of objects within its collection in limited circumstances. However, the museum could still arrange a loan of the sculptures.

The chairperson of the British Museum has said is it "worth trying" to work with Greece to see if the Parthenon Sculptures "can be seen both in London and Athens, while treasures currently in Greece could be seen by new audiences here." 

A long-running dispute between Britain and Greece over ancient treasures has spilled into tensions over Brexit after a demand for the return of stolen cultural artefacts was added to the draft of a European Union negotiating mandate.