Parthenon

The restoration in the Temple of Athena that started two years ago due to the use of the ruins as the entrance of a nightclub nears an end, due to complete in 2024, in the ancient city of Side.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni underscored that the government does not consider the exchange, loan or recognition of the British Museum's possession of the Parthenon Sculptures, in answering a question from an opposition MP in parliament on Monday. 

The streets and hills of Athens are ribbed with marble steps, ancient and modern, rising and dropping in the dawns and dusks of time. One recent addition to these monumental pathways is the set of paved stairs facing the performance area at the new Acropolis Museum that sits convivially below the Parthenon.

Britain should join a pan-European effort to return the Parthenon Sculptures back to Greece, David Frost, a former British diplomat and Brexit negotiator has said.

David Frost also told the House of Lords in London that the UK should make a grand gesture to create closer diplomatic and cultural relations between the two countries.

Located on Areos Street, opposite Hadrian's Library, the building traces its origins back to the 17th century. Its distinctive features - two floors, an external staircase, and an internal courtyard with a well and fountain - classify it as a "classic" representation of the later Ottoman era.

Melina Mercouri stated in 1986, during her initial efforts in advocating for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, “What does Big Ben & St Paul’s Cathedral mean to England?”

"These were legally acquired at the time." Of all the sound bites heard during this week's furor on the Parthenon Sculptures, that one (attributed to a spokesman for Rishi Sunak) is among the most depressing.

There are several ways to respond.

The Acropolis Museum launched an exhibition Tuesday that includes a renowned ancient Greek water jug from 420 BC on loan from the British Museum.

The exhibit comes during a dispute over Greek demands for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures that are housed in the British Museum.

Does Greece have a chance of achieving the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures? Yes, it does, but only under certain conditions.

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.