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The Parthenon Marbles Dispute

Heritage, Law, Politics
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The Parthenon Marbles Dispute

By: Alexander Herman
Narrated by: Dugald-Bruce Lockhart
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Why are we still arguing over the Parthenon Marbles? This book offers a fresh take on the history of those famous pieces of ancient sculpture removed from the Acropolis in Athens by Lord Elgin’s men in the early 19th century. It explains how they became the cause célèbre of the larger debates around cultural heritage and restitution now taking place. The subject is one that is currently embroiling museums, governments, universities and the public at large.

Herman provides a balanced, thorough and critical account of the history of the Marbles, while considering the legalities of their initial removal and the ethics of their retention by the British Museum. It incorporates the views of curators, museum directors, lawyers, archaeologists, politicians and others in both London and Athens. It explains why this particular dispute has not been satisfactorily resolved, and suggests new ways of seeking resolution – for the Parthenon Marbles and for the many other cultural treasures held in museum collections outside their countries of origin.

The book sets out a way forward for this famously intractable dispute, one based on evidence of past practice, legal rules around the transfer of cultural objects and the role of museums in negotiating international exchanges.©2023 Alexander Herman (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ancient Europe Greece History Law
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Critic reviews

Essential reading for those interested in the dispute, and indeed in the wider debate around repatriation of cultural objects. (James Morton)
Given Herman’s legal credentials, readers might not expect the sensitivity he brings to questions far removed from parsing the clauses of Ottoman decrees ... Plenty of clear-eyed research and sufficient goodwill.
[An] even-handed and refreshing approach to this immensely complex dispute … An important contribution has been made to identify areas of compromise that might help resolve this long-running dispute.
Alexander Herman has written a lucid and engaging guide to the world’s longest-standing cultural dispute. Like so many of us, he hopes for its resolution, and is scrupulously fair and even-handed in explaining how this might happen.
Anyone with an interest in world history and cultural heritage will learn a lot from reading this careful study of the world's toughest argument over art and restitution. Its approach is both rigorous and empathetic, an impressive combination.
It is a remarkable achievement to write with such balance and authority on so fraught a question, even more impressive when so many believe they have an answer; from now on no-one should venture an opinion without reading this gripping and important analysis.
This is a great book, with very useful up-to-date insights into the subject’s history. But it doesn’t stop there. Substantial, thoughtful essays on law, museums, nations and conflict resolution are valuable not just to this dispute, but to other comparable cases as well.
I recommend it as a solid introduction to the story of the Marbles and the subject of cultural property.
Both authors offer to scholars, the public and decision-makers abundant and serious arguments in support of the cause of the Marbles’ homecoming after a forced exile of more than two centuries. (Giorgio Sacerdoti)
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