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Reclining Dionysos sculpture from the Parthenon's east pediment, circa 447–433 B.C. Image by Jastrow. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.

Greece wants new talks with Britain on Parthenon sculptures

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
The left-hand group of surviving figures from the East Pediment of the Parthenon, exhibited as part of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Copyrighted photo by Andrew Dunn (http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com) taken Dec. 3, 2005. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
The left-hand group of surviving figures from the East Pediment of the Parthenon, exhibited as part of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Copyrighted photo by Andrew Dunn (http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com) taken Dec. 3, 2005. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – The Greek government has launched a new bid to engage Britain in talks over the return to Athens of a celebrated group of ancient sculptures originally ornamenting the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis.

Greece’s culture minister has written her British counterpart to formally propose negotiations on the future of the works — variously known as the Parthenon Sculptures, or Elgin Marbles.

A ministry statement said Monday Lydia Koniordou invited British officials to Greece to discuss the matter.

The case of the 5th century B.C. works in London’s British Museum is one of the longest-running cultural heritage disputes in the world.

The works were removed by a Scottish nobleman in the early 19th century when Athens was under Turkish rule. Greece wants them back, which Britain has resolutely refused to do.

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