The so called “Elgin Marbles” are a collection of ancient Greek sculptures and architectural details in the British Museum, London, where they are now called the Parthenon Sculptures. The objects were removed from the Parthenon at Athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to England by arrangement of Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin, who was British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (1799–1803). The removal created a storm of controversy that exemplified questions about the ownership of cultural artifacts and the return of antiquities to their places of origin. Go to the following links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3841179.stm Rescued or seized? Greece’s long fight with UK over Parthenon Marbles https://youtu.be/_q_anSjKpIM INSTRUCTIONS Which side do you agree with? The issue of precedent is a very interesting one. If the marbles were to be returned, would every museum in the world be expected to return items of cultural heritage to the country of origin? Would we all as humans be lacking access to the cultures of other nations? Are the marbles the property of Britian because a diplomat was given permission to remove them by an occupying government? What really is the difference between an antique and antiquity? What do you think defines cultural heritage?