Each country must have its own cultural works of art and architecture, including the ancient works that once were there and became the symbol of the country, such as The Parthenon, Pyramids, and Sphinx. Some of them might have been stolen, while some of them might have been ruined for some reasons, for examples because of natural disasters, acid rain, war, and some irresponsible behaviors.
The issues of who owns the ancient works of art and architecture has been a debated topic among collectors, curators, museum directors, cultural groups, and even countries. This topic actually is really important due to clarify who really own it and responsible for preserving it. Finding the authenticity of one work of art could also help us to acknowledge the history of collecting it and how its meaning and its status could change when an object is moved from one environment to another. But before we come to all these things, we must think about who actually owns the past.
The case of the Elgin Marbles is one of the debated topics that still have got no solution for about two centuries. There was a time when some educated people like Lord Thomas Elgin, an English Lord and British Ambassador to Constantinople on 1799 – 1803, believed that Ancient Greek art and architecture was the highest expression of civilization. Due to this belief, Lord Thomas Elgin decided to remove some sculptures of The Parthenon, such as half part of the frieze, 17 life-sized marble figures from the pediment, and 15 pieces of the metopes. He brought these pieces to England and has it displayed on the British museum. This action was very controversial and being debated between the Greeks, the British, and among people from different countries.
The Greeks has demanded the British to return the marbles and the British keep refusing to return the piece. Some people disagree with his action and said that it should be returned to its original country. Actually, Elgin had been given a firman or permit...