Artifacts and Their Homeland There are many artifacts that have been dug up, preserved, and shown in museums across the world. When tourists go to New York and visit the museums in the city, most of the time the museums have exhibits that show off another culture, like an exhibit on Ancient Chinese culture or an exhibit on the Great Pyramids of Giza. However, do other countries have the right to show artifacts from other countries? There are two sides of the spectrum on the topic, with one side arguing that the museums have the right to show off the foreign ancient artifacts, while the other side argues that the artifacts should be given back to the country of origin. No matter where the artifacts originates from, the artifacts should be
…show more content…
The Elgin Marbles were statues that were stripped from the Parthenon in 1801 and shipped to the National British Museum. The marbles were taken by Lord Elgin, who argued that the act was illegal but they wanted to protect the artifacts from further damage or from potential looting. So, the marbles were taken and given to the British Museum, which has caused controversy as to who the marbles actually belong to: Greece or Britain. The British side has argued that the marbles do not belong to Greece because at the time the Elgin Marbles were taken, they area of Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, therefore the marbles do not belong to the Greeks. Also, another argument that the British have used is that the marbles don’t only show Greek history, but the marbles are important to the European civilization as a whole, so the marbles can be anywhere in Europe. However, the one main issue that supports the Greeks is that the marbles were taken illegally from the Parthenon, which is still in Greece. The Elgin Marbles could have been very important to European culture, but the country of Greece deserves to get the marbles because that is where the marbles originated. The fact that the Ottoman empire controlled Greece when the marbles were stolen has nothing to do with the fact that the marbles resided in the Parthenon for hundreds of years prior. So, the marbles should be returned to Greece, as the marbles were in that area since their creation. Area and boundaries are a big defining factor to determine what country gets control of a certain artifact and in theory should be the defining factor to determine where an artifact
The Elgin Marbles were statues that were stripped from the Parthenon in 1801 and shipped to the National British Museum. The marbles were taken by Lord Elgin, who argued that the act was illegal but they wanted to protect the artifacts from further damage or from potential looting. So, the marbles were taken and given to the British Museum, which has caused controversy as to who the marbles actually belong to: Greece or Britain. The British side has argued that the marbles do not belong to Greece because at the time the Elgin Marbles were taken, they area of Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, therefore the marbles do not belong to the Greeks. Also, another argument that the British have used is that the marbles don’t only show Greek history, but the marbles are important to the European civilization as a whole, so the marbles can be anywhere in Europe. However, the one main issue that supports the Greeks is that the marbles were taken illegally from the Parthenon, which is still in Greece. The Elgin Marbles could have been very important to European culture, but the country of Greece deserves to get the marbles because that is where the marbles originated. The fact that the Ottoman empire controlled Greece when the marbles were stolen has nothing to do with the fact that the marbles resided in the Parthenon for hundreds of years prior. So, the marbles should be returned to Greece, as the marbles were in that area since their creation. Area and boundaries are a big defining factor to determine what country gets control of a certain artifact and in theory should be the defining factor to determine where an artifact