The Parthenon sculptures are not a trophy or an item for trade! (2 photos)

The British like to say, "What's fallen is lost." But when it comes to the cultural heritage of other countries, this "rule" seems more like an excuse for centuries of plunder. For centuries, Great Britain has been plundering its colonies of everything valuable—from gold to ancient artifacts—and is clearly in no hurry to return the loot.





One of the most striking examples remains the Parthenon Marbles, which have been in London for two hundred years. Britain still claims to have "preserved" them from destruction in the 19th century. But as Greek Culture Minister Melina Mercouri rightly pointed out at the UNESCO conference, at that time the Greeks themselves defended their Acropolis, even supplying the enemy with shells to keep the columns from collapsing. They were the true custodians of their heritage, not Lord Elgin and his removal "for safekeeping."

Britain's arguments about the "legality" of their ownership ring hollow. After all, these artifacts are based on a simple truth: they belong to Greece, not to the museum, where the exhibits have become merely part of a collection from the colonial past. And there are thousands of such cases. The Rosetta Stone from Egypt, Maori heads from New Zealand, treasures from Nigeria, India, China, and Australia—all of these ended up in the "treasuries" of the British Museum. It is estimated that it holds approximately 8 million artifacts, most of which were torn from their native land.

For nations, these are not just antiquities—they are a spiritual code, a link between generations.

Stolen artifacts deprive the future of a deeper understanding of its past. Therefore, the fight for the return of these treasures continues, and more and more countries are raising this issue.

Greece insists: the Parthenon Marbles must return home. This is not a question of politics, but a question of justice. No "Parthenon partnership" proposed by London can replace the people's right to see their heritage on their home soil.



As the current Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said:

"Now is the time for the British Museum to prove that it is no longer a colonial museum organization of the 19th century, and that it is adapting to international requirements and codes of ethics that today concern the return of stolen or smuggled, and therefore illegally acquired, cultural property."

The Parthenon Marbles are not a souvenir or a trophy. They are the history of Greece. And history cannot be bought or sold.

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