In the early 1800s, with the blessing on the Ottoman tyrants who reigned over Greece at the time, Thomas Bruce, the Earl of Elgin and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, plundered the Acropolis in an epic act of cultural vandalism. Elgin's agents removed many of the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon, as well as architectural pieces and sculptures from other parts of the Acropolis. As Sir John Newport accurately remarked, Elgin had “committed the most flagrant pillages”

In 1816, the Elgin Marbles were purchased by the British Government and placed in display at the British Museum, where they reside to this day. Two hundred years have passed since Elgin’s act of thievery, yet British authorities still reject repeated requests for the return of these culturally irreplaceable examples of the glories of Greek civilization. What would these same officials say if parts of Big Ben where hacked off and shipped over seas... or if the British Crown Jewels were stolen and taken abroad?

In poll after poll, the majority of British citizens have agreed that the Marbles should be returned home to Greece. Now is a chance for you to have your say too. Please lend your voice and leave a comment below in support of the return of the Elgin Marbles to their homeland.

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