In October 2013 the Greek Ministry of Culture hosted the 3rd Annual Conference of Experts on the Return of Cultural Property.  The conference opened in the Acropolis Museum and the chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles was invited to deliver the opening address on the dispute over the Parthenon Marbles.  He concluded with reference to the recent UNESCO initiative inviting the British Museum and the British Government to submit the dispute to mediation, to which he urged a positive response and a successful outcome.

The rest of the conference was held in the conference centre on the site of Ancient Olympia where it was addressed by a wide range of academic, legal, law enforcement and cultural experts from all five continents.  The conclusions of the conference were embodied in a conference resolution which ranged over disputed ownership, illicit removal, the "black" art market, lack of due diligence in the legal art market, the risk to cultural sites and objects in areas of armed conflict and the need for governments and cultural institutions to cooperate with each other and with cultural organisations such as UNESCO. Given the coincidence in timing with the UNESCO initiative on mediation over the Parthenon Marbles dispute this was referenced in the final clause of the resolution. 

On December the 9th 2015 following an initiative by the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution with broad international support on the same areas of concern as covered by the conference of experts at Ancient Olympia. This duly included the reference to the dispute over the Parthenon Marbles.

Artemis Papathanassiou, MFA of Greece and Member of the National Consultative Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures commented: “of a major importance, is operative paragraph 7 of the Resolution, which, for the first time, recognizes the recent institution of International Conferences on the Return or Restitution of cultural property (Seoul, Ancient Olympia, Dunhuang, Nevsehir), as well as their concluding documents. Among them, the 'Ancient Olympia Recommendation' of 2013, which calls, among others, for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures.  It is for the first time that a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution, in its operative part, refers to this issue, even indirectly.”

More on the Olympia Conference here  

More related articles:

http://www.ekathimerini.com/204270/article/ekathimerini/news/un-signs-resolution-bolstering-bid-for-return-of-parthenon-marbles

Let them have a great day @ the Acropolis Museum!

On the 28th of October, the Acropolis Museum is holding a special day for children. Younger visitors to the museum fascinated by mythical creatures will have access to archaeologists happy to answer questions and recount fascinating stories.

Children also will have an opportunity to use their vivid imagination to illustrate colourful cards and then embark on a path of discovery, to find the myths and creatures among the exhibits of the Museum. Archaeologists will be available from 12 noon until 6 pm on the second floor of the Museum, on the balcony overlooking the Archaic Chamber.

On Wednesday, 28 October, the Acropolis Museum will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with free admission.

TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel site, announced its Travellers’ Choice™ awards for museums around the world in September 2015. For a complete list of the top 25 visit: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Museums.

Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for museums around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.The superlative Acropolis Museum, in Athens, Greece is among the best museums ranked 11^th in the world and 8th in Europe attracting hundreds of tourists every year and receiving great reviews.

"Honouring nearly 600 institutions worldwide, the Travellers' Choice awards have recognised the favourite museums that serve as cultural treasure troves for our community of millions," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

Have you visited the Acropolis Museum? If so, have you written your review on TripAdvisor?

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189400-d735521-Reviews-The_Acropolis_Museum-Athens_Attica.html

The Acropolis Museum to celebrate the August full moon on Saturday 29 August 2015 with a music and dance event ‘Tango Acropolis’. From 8:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m., the Museum’s entrance courtyard will turn into a dance floor where world-renowned artists will first present tango choreographies and the public will have the opportunity to dance with music by the orchestra of the famous composer Marios Strofalis.

This event is held under the auspices of the Embassy of Argentina, in collaboration with the Acropolis Museum.    

On Saturday 29 August, the Acropolis Museum will remain open from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight (free entry will be available from 8 p.m. onwards) and visitors will be able to enjoy the permanent exhibition areas but also the temporary exhibition ‘Samothrace. The Mysteries of the Great Gods’. The restaurant of the second floor will be open until midnight.

Dear Sir,

It is timely to remember the very great cultural debt that we owe to Greece, how valiantly many Greeks fought in WWII and how hard-working, frugal and family-minded the majority of Greeks have long been and continue to be. Whatever the precise nature of Greece's economic future, it is profoundly to be hoped that the Greek people will receive robust support from its European allies, including those in the British Government.

Prof Angie Hobbs, Dr Bettany Hughes, Mar...tha Lane Fox, Tom Holland, Victoria Hislop, Prof Simon Armitage, Prof Michael Wood, Prof Paul Cartledge, Melvyn Bragg, Prof Chris Pelling, Dr Armand D’Angour, Natalie Haynes, Charlotte Mendelson, Prof Edith Hall, Prof Armand Leroi, Dr Michael Scott.

And for the full article in the Telegraph, read it here

20 June 2015 Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

Many of us  cannot help but relive the amazing time that was had by all when the superlative Acropolis Museum first opened it's doors in June 2009. There were those that criticised the new museum but the majority of visitors from all over the globe, were awe struck. The sheer scale and depth of the exhibitions, the great sense of elation, at all times with spectacular views to the Acropolis and the Parthenon were and continue to be treasured.

On occassions as special as Saturday 20 June, we will also remember those that aren't able to celebrate this superlative museum's 6th anniversary. In the case of BCRPM it will be the sad loss of Vice Chair, Christopher Price, who passed away in London in February. But just like Melina Mercouri, Jules Dassin, Robert Browning and Graham Binns, Christopher will be remember for his tireless campaigning to support the reunification of the fragmented Parthenon Marbles.

For those visiting Athens on the 20th June 2015, the Acropolis Museum will have the following events in store, including:

A new exhibition ‘Samothrace. The mysteries of the great gods’, which has been  organised in cooperation with the Ephorates of Rodopi and Evros and the expert on Samothracian antiquities, Mr. Dimitrios Matsas. This exhibition will be open to the public from 9 pm till midnight and it will  continue to be available for visitors  until 30 September 2015. On the following day after the official opening of this exhibition, Sunday 21 June  at 10 pm the Museum  has also scheduled a conference focusing on recent archaeological research in Samothrace.

Images from the new exhibition ‘Samothrace. The mysteries of the great gods’, courtesy of the Acropolis Museum. This exhibition will run from 20 June until 30 September 2015

On the Sauturday 20 June, at 9 pm the Museum will also present a music concert in the entrance courtyard, to be performed by the Athens Municipality Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus with music and songs from the interwar years, the cinema and Greek operetta.

Additional bonus for visitors on Saturday 20 June - the exhibition areas and the restaurant of the Acropolis Museum will remain open from 8 am until 12 midnight and admission to the Museum will be reduced (3 euros) for all.