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Athens' Lost Marbles

May 20

Written by: Neil E. Traveler
Thursday, May 20, 2010 10:03 AM

Athens' new Acropolis Museum was built with a clear purpose. A huge frieze dominates the sunlit top floor of the museum. There is a stark contrast between the darkened patina of the original sections of the frieze and the white plaster reproductions of the missing sections. The original statues from the missing sections are currently displayed in London's British Museum, and the new Acropolis Museum is a poignant plea for their repatriation to their original home.

The spectacular 525-foot marble frieze once adorned the top of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. In the early 1800s, an expedition under the direction of Lord Elgin, with alleged permission by Ottoman authorities who then governed Greece, removed most of the Parthenon's marble sculptures, which were sold to the British government in 1816.

For years, the Greek government has attempted to regain possession of the 'Elgin Marbles', and the new museum was built to nullify claims that Athens has no place to display them. During the museum's opening ceremony on June 20th, President Karolos Papoulias stated that Greeks think of the Acropolis monuments as their "identity and pride". Antonis Samaras, Greece's Minister of Culture, added that, broken up, the Parthenon sculptures are like a family portrait with "loved ones missing."

For the British Museum, the marbles are a key part of their collection. The museum argues that the marbles are part of the heritage of western civilization as a whole and that displaying them with the rest of the museum's collection sets them in a broader context than would be possible in Athens.

As the debate persists, visitors flock to the base of the Acropolis to explore the $200 million ultramodern building. Hours before its public opening, two hundred anxious visitors gathered outside the museum's doors and within a matter of hours, the next four days were already sold out - attesting to Greece's pride in its extensive history and culture.

At the inaugural ceremony held the previous evening, Greek political leaders, international dignitaries and accredited journalists gathered for the nationally televised event. Attendees were guided on a 5,200-year journey through Greek history and heritage as they explored over 4,000 ancient artifacts that once adorned the Acropolis.

Visitors to the Acropolis Museum will experience firsthand the fusion of ancient and modern as they view historic statues and reliefs displayed within French-Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi's design. "We tried to be as simple, as clear, as precise as we could be establishing a visual relation between the Parthenon, the museum with the beautiful sculptures and with the archaeological remnants," Tschumi says. The museum provides visitors with a panoramic view of Athens and the Parthenon itself. It contains three stories and ten times the exhibition space of the old Acropolis Museum, built in 1874. A special glass hall displays Parthenon sculptures, creatively placed in their original alignment. A glass walkway on the ground floor showcases a 5,000-year-old settlement below, discovered as the foundation was being constructed. Careful excavation of this ancient underground neighborhood is ongoing, and once complete, the area will be open for exploration. Visitors should reserve up to three hours to explore all of the spectacular antiquities the museum has to offer.

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Hi, I'm Amy! Avid traveler and social marketing guru at NETC. I'm also the editor of NETC's Educated Traveler blog, where you'll find all kinds of information about travel and education, tips, NETC news, classroom lesson ideas and more! Subscribe above!

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Athens' Lost Marbles

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