Re: 'Return Stonehenge' says archdruid

From: Martyn Harrison (nospam_at_spammers.of.the.world.unite)
Date: 06/24/04


Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:35:27 +0100

Apparently on date Thu, 24 Jun 2004 09:58:53 +0100, "allan connochie"
<allan@EASYNET.CO.UK> said:

>"Féachadóir" <Féach@d.óir> wrote in message
>> Scríobh "allan connochie" <allan@EASYNET.CO.UK>:
>Marbles are two fold. The Marbles were moved in modern times. We have
>detailed records of what happened. The Greek people were subjugated at the
>time and had no say on the matter.

Elgin had a point about the destruction of actual Greek artifacts by Venetians,
Turks, etc, and paid money to the lawfully constituted rulers of the empire
they were in, to take the marbles off to a place where they could be safe, and
could be studied / appreciated. Since there hadn't been a "Greece" for two
thousand years, he could hardly have been expected to buy them from Greece as
such.

Whether there is an issue with Greece lying on the land routes through the
Balkans to India, and therefore likely to be the subject of hostile nations
engaged on world politicking, these days, is open to debate. There didn't need
to be one in 1800, as it was an active war zone that lead, ultimately, to the
Crimea and also WWI.

Had the marbles been returned, they would, by now, either be in a landfill site
somewhere in Russia or spread around the world, in submarines on the way from
Germany to Brazil, etc, etc. As it is, they've been safely in London for 200
years, which isn't altogether a bad thing and while there might be a
justification for selling them back again, there's no actual risk to them where
they are, and they're available for studying by anyone who wants to.

I don't care much about it either way, but I don't appreciate the presentation
of this as war spoils stolen from poor Greece by the evil British, which a lot
of the websites like to imply.



Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Return Stonehenge says archdruid
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    (sci.anthropology)
  • Re: Return Stonehenge says archdruid
    ... >> If the Greek problems are evidence the Elgin marbles should remain in ... The Marbles are safely housed in the British ... >failings of the British construction industry are, therefore, irrelevant. ... >However the failings of the Greek construction industry are relevant to a ...
    (sci.anthropology)