Although this blog is technically supposed to be about mortuary archeology, I'm going to talk about something a little different today. In class we have been talking about the ethics and obligations of archeology. Additionally, we've discussed the context of archeology - the impact that it can have, and the importance of interpretations. I really love this topic - I often forget the everyday importance and significance of archeology. It's easy to, it's not usually discussed in most of my classes. For me, discussions on ethics like the ones we've been having in class really help me remember that archeology doesn't occur in a vacuum - it holds social, cultural, political and economic significance for certain interest groups, or perhaps for entire nations.
About two summers ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend about three weeks in Greece. It was an incredible trip - Greece is an amazing country. There's so much history everywhere! What really interested me about contemporary Greece was the importance of their ancient history. Although I cannot speak for every Greek individual, I was given the impression that contemporary Greek identity was strongly informed by ancient Greek identity. Notions of the Greek "Self" were strong.
In particular, I was struck by Greek discourse of the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles have continued to be a controversial topic in repatriation discourse. The Elgin Marbles are greek sculptures that were originally part of the Parthenon in Athens. When Greece was under Ottoman Rule, they were (supposedly) given to Lord Elgin, a British Ambassador. However, the legality of the Ottoman's "gift" to Elgin has been questioned. The marbles are currently housed at the British Museum, much to the Greeks dismay. Greek politicians and museum officials have repeatedly requested the repatriation of the marbles. To them, the marbles were taken illegally, and the marbles represent an important feature of Greek identity. Of course, the issue is more complex than I am describing it, but it is not within the scope of this blog to fully delve into the nuances of this controversy.
Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, the British Museum has refused to repatriate the marbles. They claim that the marbles have come to inform British identity, they were obtained legally and that Athens does not have the infrastructure to properly hold the marbles. Recently, in regards to the British Museum's suggestion that Athen's does not have the proper infrastructure to hold the marbles, the Greek government funded the building of the "Acropolis Museum". It's state of the art: there are numerous preservation technologies in place.
When I was in Athens, I visited the "New Acropolis Museum". It was really beautiful - part of it is laid out in the plan of the parthenon. In a way, it almost feels like you are walking throughout the Parthenon as you make your way through the museum. The museum has recreated duplicates of the Elgin marbles in the new museum. They were incredibly poor duplicates. A large part of me wonders if this is on purpose - perhaps they feel that it draws attention to the missing gap in their museum, and attracts greater awareness to the controversy. It was an obvious sore thumb - and it certainly made you sympathize with the Acropolis museum. Symbolically, I suppose you could have perceived it as a missing part of Greek identity.
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The Elgin Marbles represent more than the ethics of repatriation - arguably, they've come to represent debate of colonialism, and identity. Although I don't necessarily think that the marbles will make it back to Athens (the British Museum is really digging their heels in), I hope that inroads can be made for perhaps rotational ownership, or at least a temporary Marble visit to Athens.
About two summers ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend about three weeks in Greece. It was an incredible trip - Greece is an amazing country. There's so much history everywhere! What really interested me about contemporary Greece was the importance of their ancient history. Although I cannot speak for every Greek individual, I was given the impression that contemporary Greek identity was strongly informed by ancient Greek identity. Notions of the Greek "Self" were strong.
In particular, I was struck by Greek discourse of the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles have continued to be a controversial topic in repatriation discourse. The Elgin Marbles are greek sculptures that were originally part of the Parthenon in Athens. When Greece was under Ottoman Rule, they were (supposedly) given to Lord Elgin, a British Ambassador. However, the legality of the Ottoman's "gift" to Elgin has been questioned. The marbles are currently housed at the British Museum, much to the Greeks dismay. Greek politicians and museum officials have repeatedly requested the repatriation of the marbles. To them, the marbles were taken illegally, and the marbles represent an important feature of Greek identity. Of course, the issue is more complex than I am describing it, but it is not within the scope of this blog to fully delve into the nuances of this controversy.
A Frieze of the Marbles.
Image via content-time.com
The East Pediment
Image via wikipedia
Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, the British Museum has refused to repatriate the marbles. They claim that the marbles have come to inform British identity, they were obtained legally and that Athens does not have the infrastructure to properly hold the marbles. Recently, in regards to the British Museum's suggestion that Athen's does not have the proper infrastructure to hold the marbles, the Greek government funded the building of the "Acropolis Museum". It's state of the art: there are numerous preservation technologies in place.
Image via mytimes.com
When I was in Athens, I visited the "New Acropolis Museum". It was really beautiful - part of it is laid out in the plan of the parthenon. In a way, it almost feels like you are walking throughout the Parthenon as you make your way through the museum. The museum has recreated duplicates of the Elgin marbles in the new museum. They were incredibly poor duplicates. A large part of me wonders if this is on purpose - perhaps they feel that it draws attention to the missing gap in their museum, and attracts greater awareness to the controversy. It was an obvious sore thumb - and it certainly made you sympathize with the Acropolis museum. Symbolically, I suppose you could have perceived it as a missing part of Greek identity.
The Acropolis Museum, Athens
The Elgin Marbles represent more than the ethics of repatriation - arguably, they've come to represent debate of colonialism, and identity. Although I don't necessarily think that the marbles will make it back to Athens (the British Museum is really digging their heels in), I hope that inroads can be made for perhaps rotational ownership, or at least a temporary Marble visit to Athens.
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