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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said that the UK and Greece should come to an agreement to share the controversial Parthenon Marbles currently on display at the British Museum
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 05 Jul 2023
The Parthenon Marbles have been housed inside the British Museum since 1817 Credit: Canva
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told a Greek newspaper that he believes the Parthenon Marbles should be shared between the UK and Greece.
“I obviously want Londoners to be able to see the Elgin (Parthenon) Marbles, but I don’t see why the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the museum in Athens can’t come to an accommodation to share these wonderful, wonderful Marbles,” Khan told Ta Nea.
The ancient sculptures, which date back to 500 B.C., originally formed part of the Parthenon in Athens but were removed by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, in the early 19th century, before being sold to the British government in 1816.
While Elgin claimed to have obtained an official decree from the ruling government to remove the artefacts, no such decree has ever been found, despite the wealth of surviving documents from the same period.
Since 1817 the sculptures have been housed inside the British Museum in London.
“I’d really encourage the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the Acropolis Museum to talk about how we can make more progress on this very issue. I think it’s important to have these discussions… in terms of the Elgin Marbles there’s a discussion to share some of this stuff,” Khan added.
The news comes after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British Museum had been caring for the marbles for “generations.”
“The collection of the British Museum is protected by law, and we have no plans to change that,” he said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis responded by saying that Greece does not recognise that the marbles are legally owned by the British Museum. Adding: “We have to be constructive and we have to be innovative if a solution is to be found.”
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