Elgin Marbles

Home > ... > Literature and the Arts > Art and Architecture > European Art to 1599 > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side A Dictionary of British History The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

Elgin Marbles

Elgin Marbles , ancient sculptures taken from Athens to England in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, 7th earl of Elgin; other fragments exist in several European museums. Consisting of much of the surviving frieze and other sculptures from the Parthenon , a caryatid , and a column from the Erechtheum , they were sold to the British government in 1816 and are now on view in the British Museum. Since then, the Greek government has demanded the return of the marbles. Although British claims are based on Elgin's purchase of the sculptures, Greece has contested this, and its position has many supporters.

Bibliography: See T. Vrettos, The Elgin Affair (1997).

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-ElginMar" title="Facts and information about Elgin Marbles">Elgin Marbles</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Elgin Marbles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Elgin Marbles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (November 13, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ElginMar.html

"Elgin Marbles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ElginMar.html

Learn more about citation styles

Elgin marbles

A Dictionary of British History | 2004 | | Â© A Dictionary of British History 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Elgin marbles These were part of the frieze and pediment of the Parthenon of Athens, sent to England by the 7th earl of Elgin. While British ambassador in Constantinople, he obtained authority from the Turks first to study, then to remove some of the antiquities. In 1816 Elgin received £35,000, much less than his expenses, and the marbles were placed in the British Museum. The Greek government has at times requested their return.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O43-Elginmarbles" title="Facts and information about Elgin Marbles">Elgin Marbles</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN CANNON. "Elgin marbles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Elgin marbles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (November 13, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Elginmarbles.html

JOHN CANNON. "Elgin marbles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved November 13, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Elginmarbles.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Imperial Spoils: The Curious Case of the Elgin Marbles. Magazine article from: National Review; 10/27/1989
	Parthenon marbles back in play. (Front Page).(controversial plan for Elgin marbles to be loaned to Greece for the Olympics)(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Art in America; 3/1/2002
	The Elgin Marbles: The Story of Archaeology's Greatest Controversy.(Brief article)(Book review) Magazine article from: Contemporary Review; 9/22/2006

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	How Lord Elgin lost his marbles; JULIAN CHAMPKIN tells the tragic story of Lord Elgin's obsession with the controversial Greek masterpieces - and how it eventually ruined him. Newspaper article from: The Daily Mail (London, England); 6/25/2004; 700+ words ; ...trudge around the small town of Elgin in the north of Scotland...long journey there to see the Elgin marbles. They are disappointed...has been for nothing. The Elgin marbles, of course, are in the British...displayed - a collection of marble sculptures that formed a frieze...
	Do Elgin's letters solve the marble fight?; Bribes and debts cloud the issue, finds Joan Gralla. Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England); 5/2/2000; 700+ words ; ...workmen had removed one of marbles from a wall since he...firman. Rudenstine said Elgin was excited that it gave...mould and dig around the marble temple dedicated to Athena...peace and cities. Elgin's letter made no mention of taking marbles off the Parthenon wall...work team wrote back to ...
	BUILDING A LIBRARY ; The Elgin Marbles Newspaper article from: The Independent on Sunday; 3/11/2007; ; 654 words ; ...British Museum, the beauty of the Elgin marbles has moved me to tears and inspired...should include the 400-page Lord Elgin and the Marbles: the controversial...When you know the complex history of Elgin and the marbles, it's clear it...
	COLUMN: Returning the Elgin Marbles News Wire article from: University Wire; 12/7/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...on the fate of the Elgin Marbles, a group of 17 figures...the room where the marbles were displayed...recognition that Elgin may have more or...the presence of the marbles. With the Olympics...The presence of the Elgin Marbles in London...
	Bribes may cost Elgin his marbles Newspaper article from: The Scotsman; 11/30/1999; ; 700+ words ; LORD ELGIN paid huge bribes to Turkish...officials to enable him to remove marble statues and friezes from...Evidence of the bribery in Elgin family papers proves that...collection, now known as the Elgin Marbles, were obtained illegally...
	The Elgin Marbles, romanticism & the waning of 'ideal beauty'. Magazine article from: Daedalus; 9/22/2002; ; 700+ words ; ...purchase a collection of ancient Greek marbles from Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin. A former ambassador to Turkey, Elgin had convinced the local authorities...questioning that took place at the Elgin Marbles hearing: "Does the Apollo Belvedere...
	They want to take their marbles and go home; Now that Greece has a museum for Elgin's booty the question must be asked Who owns the past?(Insight) Newspaper article from: The Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario); 6/20/2009; 700+ words ; ...Inside, the sculpted marble frieze that once covered...originals of which, the Elgin marbles, have resided in the...argument - if it had the Elgin marbles, more than 85 per cent...untrue. Half the outer marble panels, a third of...European museums.) Elgin later wrote that it...
	Would you swap an Elgin marble for a planespotter in an anorak? Magazine article from: The Spectator; 5/4/2002; ; 700+ words ; SHARED OPINION British liberals tend to think that we should return the Elgin marbles to Greece. Let us hope that Greek liberals are demanding of the Greek minister of culture that the British planespotters be returned...
	Casts & connoisseurs: the early reception of the Elgin Marbles: this month is the 200th anniversary of the Elgin Marbles going on public view in London. The response they received was at first mixed, yet, for reasons that Marc Fehlmann explains, by the 1830s they had become integral to western art history and students everywhere were copying casts of them. Magazine article from: Apollo; 6/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...controversy as the Elgin Marbles; no other artefacts...the export of the marbles and other antiquities...Initially, Lord Elgin did not intend to...townhouse to display the marbles. Hunt, who was...to Mary, Countess Elgin. (18) Meanwhile...
	GIVE BACK THE ELGIN MARBLES. Newspaper article from: The Evening Standard (London, England); 1/13/2004; 700+ words ; ...ROBIN COOK TOMORROW Marbles Reunited is launched...000 years until Lord Elgin pulled them down. The...freedom, denounced Elgin as a plunderer and a...that could be said for Elgin is that he removed the Marbles from what was then a...