A long-running dispute between Greece and the UK took another turn as the Grecophile Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made a firm statement that the so-called 'Elgin marbles' would remain at the British museum, despite strenuous petitions by the Greek government.
The Elgin marbles are some of the most remarkable statues and facades on Earth, sculptured by the great Phidias of Athens. They were taken to Britain in the early 19th century at a time when Greece was chaffing under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire.
This fight over where these antiquities belong is not only a key thorn in Anglo-Greek relations, but throws up broader questions when it comes to the custodianship of antiquities, and the principles of preservation vs ownership.
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Boris Johnson recites Iliad: [ Ссылка ]
Boris Johnson / Mary Beard - Greece vs Rome debate: [ Ссылка ]
