Economist: Parthenon Marbles May Return to Greece on Loan in 2025

Parthenon Marbles. Credit: RobW. CC BY 2.0/flickr

The Parthenon Marbles, the 2,500-year-old sculptures that are astatine the halfway of the world’s astir celebrated quality implicit cultural property, whitethorn instrumentality to Greece successful 2025 but lone arsenic a loan, according to The Economist‘s World Ahead 2025 report.

Referred to arsenic the Elgin Marbles successful Britain, they were removed from the Parthenon successful the 19th period by Lord Elgin, past British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and transported to Britain, wherever they were purchased by the British Museum successful 1816. To this day, they are a centerpiece of the museum’s imperishable postulation successful London. Greece, which accuses Lord Elgin of theft, has been persistently asking for the Parthenon Marbles’ instrumentality to Greece since it gained its independency successful 1821. So far, each its efforts person been unsuccessful.

“But successful 2025, the marbles whitethorn yet beryllium connected the move—or, astatine slightest negotiations astir their presumption whitethorn instrumentality a large measurement forward,” The Economist said, adding that “Greece has publically rejected thing little than a afloat ownership, but a swap of immoderate benignant remains the astir realistic outcome.”

That would mean that Greece would speech different valuable artifacts with the British Museum, which would person to stay successful London until the Greek authorities ships the loaned Parthenon Marbles backmost to Britain. The British work provides nary mentation arsenic to wherefore Greece would present judge the thought of a loan, thing that it has repeatedly turned down.

The Parthenon Marbles successful the British Museum. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A abbreviated past of rejections and obstacles for the Marbles’ instrumentality to Greece

George Osborne, the president of the British Museum is the 1 who has raised the thought of a indebtedness with collateral arsenic a shared partnership. Along with Nicholas Cullinan, the British Museum’s caller director, they person indicated that they are unfastened to this idea, but Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has rejected it. Museum officials person besides said a indebtedness would necessitate Greece to springiness up ownership of the marbles, thing that Greece has besides rejected.

A large obstacle to the quality seems to beryllium the 1963 Museum Act, which prohibits the instrumentality of the Parthenon Marbles. The instrumentality states that the museum’s Board of Trustees of the British Museum cannot “remove oregon instrumentality immoderate entity from the postulation unless it is simply a duplicate, physically damaged, ‘unfit to stay successful the collection,’ oregon nary longer of nationalist interest.”

Supporters of the Marbles’ repatriation constituent retired that the British Prime Minister could alteration the law, though existent Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said helium wouldn’t basal successful the way, and there’s nary denotation that he’d bring it to a ballot successful parliament.

Public sentiment connected the Marbles successful the UK

Public opinion successful Britain has shifted passim the years, with much and much British saying the Parthenon Marbles should beryllium unconditionally returned to Greece. According to a YouGov survey successful 2023, 49 percent of responders supported their repatriation portion lone 15 percent believed they should enactment successful London.

The British Museum’s long-standing statement had been that it was the champion and safest spot to location the Marbles. Yet, they are displayed successful a acheronian country with a leaky extortion portion Athens has said it would location them successful a sun-lit assemblage wrong the Acropolis Museum right adjacent to the Parthenon. Moreover, the British Museum’s estimation was precocious undermined by a ungraded involving a depository worker stealing thousands  of antiquities.

“The thought that the British Museum is the lone competent custodian for the marbles has ever seemed somewhat spurious, adjacent much truthful aft 1 of its unit was accused of pilfering astir 2,000 antiquities and selling them connected eBay,” The Economist study noted.