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December 03, 2003
Elgin Marbles
A photo of Waffa bin Laden is sure to attract comment and the expression of political views of any variety are sure to provoke controversy. The majority of abusive comments left at the Flea by anonymous cowards with no argument, no justifiable opinion and no manners, however, are directed toward my posts on the Elgin Marbles. It is not that there are no coherent arguments in opposition to my own (Christopher Hitchens has written a book espousing the cause of the "Parthenon Marbles", after all). It is that opponents of my views do not bother to make any of them, let alone advance arguments of their own, by preference to garbled expressions of nationalist rage. The libidinal impetus of my anonymous opponents is made clear in the subject of the single post that has attracted more abuse than any other. I could care less whether the French or the Japanese invented the bicycle (it was the French) but there is a legion of idiots prepared to believe anything provided it lets them live in an imaginary Ewok village and be nice rather than, say, learn anything or accomplish anything for themselves. Pay attention archaeology trolls: I will not pay to publish your slogans. Your comments are deleted faster than you come up with a fake email address.
This latest foray into the Elgin Marbles debate is most satisfying. A statement by Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum is haltingly contradicted by Evangelos Venizelos, the Greek minister of culture. The exchange is made all the more refreshing for its appearance in the Guardian. My favourite bit about the lack of construction since 500 B.C. is "well snide" as they say in the UK, home of the Elgin Marbles.
"The British Museum is not in 'secret talks', negotiating with the Greek authorities about lending the sculptures,' he wrote to The Sunday Times in reply to an article reporting he was in talks over the new Acropolis Museum. "The Greek Government has acknowledged that the British Museum has proper legal title ... and no longer disputes ownership."
Evangelos Venizelos responded: "I have to repeat once more that the Greek Government has never acknowledged a legal title of the British Museum to the Parthenon marbles."
A puzzled British archaeologist asked the museum for clarification. "The Greek Government's request for the loan of the sculptures," we were told, "logically presupposes recognition of the British Museum's trustees' ownership of the objects."
With such repartee, the headline, British Museum to be moved to Athens, seemed believable.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at December 3, 2003 10:20 AM