“Why are there Pyramids in Giza?” “Because they’re too big to put in a British museum”

Hi, I'm Greek so I'm kinda biased. Despite the barbarous nature of the removal, an argument can be made that the British museum was a great place for safekeeping an international treasure through the years of European and Greek instability. Right now Athens has a state of the art museum next to the Parthenon and Greece is as stable as any other European country. The marbles have to come back, there is no excuse other than pride and profit, the Greek citizens want them back and have the means to preserve and showcase them in their natural environment. It's about time...

Imagine the Parthenon still standing today. The initial mortar round is a tragedy of its own.

How did these priceless cultural artifacts end up in a British museum? Join us on this 194 part series.

I know it's not normally the 'done thing' for old art, but the fact that the Museum hasn't made themselves replicas of the Parthenon Marbles to keep in situ and sent the originals back is so weird to me. You can keep the exhibit, you can keep the story - you just add another chapter now, stating when and how the originals were returned. Same with a lot of the carvings that the British Museum has nicked - You can make replicas, return the originals and tell the story / provenience of them. We do casts all the time for prehistoric animal skeletons, even filling in the bones that are missing with sculpted replicas from other known skeletons. You have the known history to say "Yes, we sure did have the original carvings at one time, and we made these highly detailed casts / replicas of them while we did. They are exact copies. We acquired the originals though some jiggery pokery though, and we've since returned them to their home country." and still keep the exhibit up as long as you'd like, with all the information it originally contained.

I was there just last week! These things and many others should absolutely be returned. Although wonderful to visit, the Museum is sadly a testament to the ways of times gone by and we should figure out a new way to enjoy history and cultural without uprooting it for display elsewhere.

For those making the argument that the Marbles should still not go back because the BM can take care of them now, it should be noted that only 50 years ago, the British Museum conservation team decided to "clean" the marbles by chiseling and scraping the marble itself so as to make the white marble more brilliant, thus damaging the marbles themselves.

I personally feel that the marbles are not well-served by their current environment. The Duveen Gallery feels dingy and cramped. By comparison, the Acropolis Museum looks spectacular - in the parthenon gallery the friezes are displayed around a central core which has the same dimensions of the original building, and the entire gallery has glass walls, out of which you can directly see the monument from which the marbles came. You can't get better than that for placing historical artefacts within context!

There is an australian podcast called "Stuff the british stole" which tells stories of a lot more stuff the british stole, there is an episode on the marbles, but also two season worth of other stories, that I can recommend

The Elgin's really made a business of looting historical architecture didn't they? his son destroyed the old summer palace in Beijing. this video sent me down a bit of a wiki hole because I recognized his name from like a million streets and towns here. it turns out his son was governor general of Canada for a while and also loved looting

As a historian those anachronistic maps give me the chills.

Kind of insane that the 7th Earl of Elgin was basically bankrupt but left SUCH a lasting legacy... Also, his son ordered for the looting of the Old Summer Palace in the 2nd Opium War.

Being Greek I just wish these monuments of human artistry will stay wherever they are best preserved. And having experienced the latest Greek government CEMENTING a part of the Parthenon's rock to make it accesible to people in wheelchairs (noble cause, stupid method), i believe these marbles are safest the further away they are from Greece!

Add to the list the Rosetta Stone from the same museum, and the Bust of Nefertiti from Berlin to Egypt, a couple among many taken too.

Thanks for the support Nerdwriter ❤️ Every bit of pressure upon the British Museum is much needed. Also im going to add the argument that a permission from a country's foreign conquerors as were the ottomans does not hold much value ethically

As a Brit, I absolutely agree that they should be returned to their rightful home. The Acropolis museum in Athens that's been built specifically to house them is the perfect place and I'm sure as a swap the Greeks will allow us to have their plaster mould replicas that currently are in that museum. It's a crime that we even try to justify us keeping them. It's embarrassing, and to make it worse we have the audacity to call them the 'Elgin marbles', truly cringeworthy. They should be returned. So should every Egyptian artifact, and everything else we've robbed from countries we've previously invaded and plundered.

the making plaster molds for architectural research to ransacking cultural symbols pipeline

6:53 I tried to find more about Broomhall, but I couldn’t find anything in that area on Wikipedia. Turns out, it’s Broomhall castle, and it does not have a Wikipedia page.

They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is…

Immagine that the UK was occupied by a foreign power, and that power gave permission for the Stonehenge to be dismembered and shipped to Greece. That's what happened with the Parthenon Marbles; the fact that some people rely on the Ottoman firman to claim that the removal was legal is hurtful and and infuriating. Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that monuments are not created in vacuo; Parthenon was made to be seen overlooking the city of Athens, in close contact with the city's hills, under the bright light of Attica's sun. This is why the Parthenon Gallery in the Acropolis Museum is designed to be covered in sunlight and why seing the Marbles in the British Museum is diminished experience. Finally, keep in mind that the Parthenon Friezes are a continuous visual naration. Elgin stealing pieces of the Frieze was like taking off some crucial letters from a text, because they look shiny and beautiful. The narative continuity of the Parthenon is broken, and the only way for it to be restored is for the Sculptures to return home.

Fascinating video as always, but “Ottoman” would be a far more appropriate ethnonym within this context. Much of the empire’s chief governing officials and administrators were not ethnically Turkish, and the majority of the empire’s population was not Turkish. “Ottoman” more effectively articulates the multicultural and heterogeneous population that comprised the empire.

The music in your video has some vibes from the video game Hades, and I am so here for it.

Hi there, I am very keen on the Parthenon sculptures on remaining at the British museum. But I can understand why some want to return them, I really like your win-win attitude for both the British and acropolis museums. I was Wondering if complete replicas of the sculptures be made from the same marble as the originals could occupy the Parthenon gallery in London whilst the originals go to Athens. This is a win-win for everyone the Parthenon sculptures can be compared with other cultures in the British museum, whilst the originals are sent to Athens. Both the British and Greeks can admire the marble. Another solution that can benefits both museums is sharing the Parthenon marbles between the museums. The marbles should be shared between the British museum and the Acropolis museum in Athens I believe the British Museum should loan Them to Greece for a decade then they come back the uk for a decade and repeat the process, a decade in Greece and a decade in Britain. Both the Greeks and the British people can admire the marbles. 🇬🇧🤝🇬🇷

Thank you for the support!

not just are they there. They're in a weird section of the British Museum where not a lot of people end up. Nearly a third of the people are in the room looking at the marble than the other rooms because it's just an empty room with a bunch of rocks if you don't know what you are looking at. I don't think they will be missed.

Great video and, as a Brit, I agree that they ought to go back. Any chance of a follow-up that explains anything that may be blocking such a thing occuring?

I don't remember where I read this, but apparently there is evidence that part of the reason that the Parthenon was so badly damaged during the world wars was because it had suffered so much structural damage from Elgin stealing the marbles. Through his theft Elgin actually helped cause more damage to a historical site than he may have actually preserved.

Lord Elgin clearly stole the sculptures and severely damaged the Parthenon.

Temple gets bombed. British: its free real estate

Welcome back! 😃 Thank you for making great content as always. 👍

great video and interesting story!

My mother was a classicist (professor of ancient history) and always referred to them as the “Elgin Marbles” (and pronounced it “Eljin” with a soft G). That was probably the old way of referencing them but of course they’re more properly called the Parthenon Marbles, rather than naming them after the guy that stole them. My American mom certainly agreed that they should be returned. I never knew the whole story before so thanks for this video!

The fact that the Turks were storing explosives in the Parthenon and it exploded makes a part of me die inside

The thing is that if the British museum returns the marbles to Greece then they’ll have to return every other stolen artifact leaving it pretty much empty. So sadly I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon

Would be interesting to see the acropolis sympathetically restored

Interesting sidenote: Napoleon's army in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone at the same time as this, allowing Egyptian hieroglyphs to be deciphered for the first time since the fall of the Ancient Egyptian Civilisation. When the British defeated the French, naturally it fell into British hands. The Rosetta Stone is also in the British Museum.

I wrote an essay on this in college back in 2020, wished I had this video for reference.

Excellent video as always. Greetings from Athens, Greece!

Why did you take down your Ghost In The Shell video? I loved that one.

Great video as always. One critique is the background music was a bit distracting while you were speaking.

Parthenon Sculptures!

Great vídeo, no surprise there about England, but great vídeo ❤❤❤

I loved your book! Been a subscriber for a couple years, watched your videos for longer. I really enjoy the video essays you create. Hope all is well :)

Because we knicked em!

I'm British and ngl up until today I thought the "Parthenon Marbles" were like, marbles the toy glass balls you'd play with as a kid, not like, sculptures made of marble. 🤦‍♂🤦‍♂ Never learned how or when they were taken. Our Govt should give them back already FFS...

A lot of national treasures lie in the British museum 🖼️🎨

I'm Greek and I appreciate you making this video. I was very surprised to see this in my subscription feed and I think it's great that videos like this exist to raise awareness about this situation.

hey Evan, I'd love to see a write-up for Jeanne Dielmann -directed by Chantal Akerman, which Sight and Sound magazine made the baller move of listing it top of great cinematic works, although you've already kinda covered slow cinema, it in the video about Tarkovsky

The most important ancient artefact 1:09 is in Crete Greece. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

What happened to the statues that Lord Elgin observed being carried off by others? Are they safe? Have they been studied? Have they or will they be returned to Greece? Or were they destroyed long ago for their lime or used as spolia, by indifferent people who cared nothing at all for the Greco-Roman heritage?

It is about time to bring them back home!

As a Brit, all I can say is that sounds like one of our better excuses for taking stuff to the British Museum. I still think we shouldn't have taken them to begin with.

Exactly like Nashville

How big is the British museum that every country has a national treasure there?

Friend, I came back to your channel to watch one of my favorite videos, the deconstructed of Rihanna’s song Work. But the video is gone 😢 Any chance you can upload it again? It’s such a great video and I really want to watch it

I know this isn't reddit but does anyone know how they would they have salvaged the marble pieces that sunk off the coast of Kythira? Edit: I'm not confident this is the right answer but I'm content enough to believe it was completed through similar techniques as this. From Wikipedia: "a diver went overboard to get it. Freediving, he was usually naked and carried a 15 kilograms (33 lb) skandalopetra, a rounded stone tied on a rope to the boat, to take him down to the bottom quickly. The diver then cut the sponge loose from the bottom and put it into a net bag. Depth and bottom time depended on the diver's lung capacity. They often went down about 30 metres (100 ft) for up to 5 minutes".

Is that google earth or some other program for those location clips??!!

What do they say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is?

i heared an interview with a historian on the radio. it was about the genocide of the nama and herero commited by the germans, and how germany still has statues of bismark and others anyways. he says that he acknowledges that bismark has done great things in germany, but that the bad sides shouldn't be forgotten either. his idea for a solution would be to change the monuments a bit. for example add barb wire around the monuments or put the statues in cages, just like what they did with the nama and herero. or maybe flip the monument upside down if possible, so it still looks pretty, but rather off, so that people ask why this monument is upside down. i like this idea. i wondered if the parthenon isn't rebuild because it's current state is part of it's history. so my idea was to rebuild it, but with diffrent colored stones. white marble is the original part, black marble is the new stuff, in memory of it's history. just like some artworks are so broken when they get restored, that they only get restored in a diffrent style.

But we have the receipts?

Nice touch using the proper version of the British flag without the added Irish cross

John Oliver does a good bit about how museums have basically stolen artifacts from these other countries, but I love the detail that went into this piece with Britain and Greece.

I agree that Britain should give back the Parthenon marbles. The first time I saw them was about a week after I had holidayed in Greece. I cried to think they were so far from home.

the answer to the question "how did X get into the british museum?" is always "it was stolen and the owners want it back yesterday"

Ottoman empire? What was this, a whole empire based on putting your feet up?

Brilliant.

Was so confused when there was a british flag but only the center red cros was there 2:29 Turns out it's the Flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain used from 1707-1801.

Give back the Belgian Marbles! 🍷😮

Went to Greece a few summers ago with my mom and we visited the Parthenon and Parthenon Museum. Nothing was funnier than how salty we could tell the tour guides were about the British Museum.

This is how Renaissance diplomacy worked. Not much has changed. Blood, brutality and people who take advantage of the situation.

They can come and visit them whenever they like

35 thousand pounds is less than an art student's debt nowadays

Thanks, Evan! 🏛 #Nerdwriter1 #EvanPuschak #Parthenon #ParthenonMarbles #BritishMuseum

This music gives real White Lotus vibes

"Bribed and threatened" is the most important part of the story, yet not one sentence more is spent exploring it. What is the evidence that the Ottomans were bribed and threatened as opposed to just paid? Perhaps that evidence exists, but you'd expect a documentarian to at least show some shred of interest in the one detail the entire narrative hangs on

Once again for the people in the back, it is not Constantinople… the city got renamed in 1453, and it is called Istanbul

So the brilliant Ottoman, and their love and care for history (irony) stored gunpowder inside it and they ended up exploding the entire building. It's still safer in London at the British Museum.

But the statues are not in good condition. Surely it makes more sense for Greece to make moulds and then perfect or 'restore' them and replace them on the parthenon. To add extra pieces to the originals seems wrong and there's little else to stop a world class museum from foregoing it's property.

Thank you. Amazing video. :)

You should check out the series "Stuff the British Stole". The British empire took all kinds of artifacts from all of their colonies.

Perfidious Albion

Hard to believe that a building can be so valuable that it’s ruins can be stolen and stored in a museum.

Bond company stooge as a representative of the British museum: "Well... We fucking stole it, man." *shrugs*

Europe has loads of treasures from other places

Notification gang!

As a greek person thank you !

I am glad that someone has done a post on this, as a British resident that has seem these sculptures on many occasions, it always amazed me that they were always called the “Elgin Marbles” obfuscating their real origin. I have even been told that this was done to preserve them, the crack in the frieze proves this to be just an excuse to pillage the treasures of another nation. Most people that go to see them are oblivious of the fact of where they come from.

5:42

pleasr do a video on Nathan new show "The Rehearsal"

The book is mahal lah

Yay

Great video!

Ubirajara Jubatus!

I'm glad Britain held on to their pilfered riches and has continuously buffered plans for repatriation of ancient ancestral artefacts. It's just cool to have everything all in one place y'know?

Germans has transferred whole Pergamon city from Milet (Turkey) to Berlin.

"Give it back? I dont think so, we're still looking at it!" I think James Acaster's standup routine pretty much sums up the thoughts of everyone in the UK under about 50 :) ukposts.info/have/v-deo/sGdkhKGMrXejq40.html

Haven’t watched the video yet, but I suspect the secret ingredient is crime.

They stole them.

That did not look like his arm...

I took a class in college on this exact subject