BCRPM's Hon President, Professor Anthony Snodgrass, Chair, Janet Suzman and Vice-Chair, Professor Paul Cartledge, plus the members of the committee were deeply saddened by the news of Marianna Vardinoyannis. Thoughts with Marianna's family and the team that worked tirelessly with her at the Foundation.

Marianna made a major bid in 2014 in conjunction with the Melina Mercouri Foundation to ‘relaunch’ the campaign for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in Greece. It was aptly entitled: Return The Marbles, Restore Parthenon, Restart History. It was a privilege to be there with William St Clair.

BCRPM's presentation highlighted all of the committee's activities for the past 31 years, and included, as Marianna put it ‘so many voices’. 

Subsequent times when BCRPM members would have an opportunity to continue to meet with Marianna included the epic 2019 conference for the reunification, also held at the Acropolis Museum.

In December of 2021, the foundation was again in touch to ask if Tom Flynn would be willing to go to Athens and speak, at the Acropolis Museum, for International Women’s Day in March 2022.

And we reflect on Marianna's article, also on BCRPM's web site, where she quoted George Seferis:

“A little longer
And we shall see the almond trees in blossom
The marbles shining in the sun
The sea, the curling waves
Just a little more
Let us rise just a little higher...”

Saturday 22 July, 2023, the Aspects of History pocast with Oliver Webb-Carter discussed the long running culural conundrum that keeps the Parthenon Marbles mainly divided between two great museums of the world: the Acropolis Museum, Athens and the British Museum, London.

Aspects of History's editor, Oliver welcomed Paul Cartledge, ancient historian and the author of countless books on ancient Greece with Dr Tessa Dunlop, author, biographer and presenter.

Dr Tessa Dunlop is best known for her appearances across numerous TV talk shows and history documentaries in a broadcast career that began with BBC2’s Coast. She has written three successful oral history books centred on WWII and women and one royal biography.

Tessa studied Modern History at Oxford University and has an MA/PHD from Sheffield Hallam University that focused on the British-Romanian relationship at the beginning of the twentieth century. With a passion for Romania including extensive broadcast work for BBC Radio 4/World Service and several Romanian media networks, her interest extends to the so-called ‘Balkan rubric’ and Britain’s othering of these south-east European countries and their history. That includes modern Greece and the disconnect between Britain’s professed adoration of Ancient Greece and our failure to return their most important artefacts – the Parthenon Marbles.

A relative newbie to the cause, she first became vocal on this subject in December 2023.

Oliver Webb-Carter studied Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at the University of Warwick. He worked as an archaeologist in Central America and for the Museum of London before changing career and heading to the City for nearly two decades.

He returned to his first love of history and co-founded Aspects of History in 2020, a magazine, website and podcast dedicated to history and historical fiction.

A passionate Philhellene, Oliver has travelled extensively in Greece and first wrote to the UK government in 1999 to request the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

Janet Suzman, Chair of BCRPM and Paul Cartledge, Vice-Chair plus all of BCRPM's thirty members, welcome Tessa and Oliver to the committee.

On BBC Radio 4's news at 7:30 a.m on Friday 21 July, the headline: 'the Government is facing more pressure to allow the Parthenon Sculptures to return to Greece with 2/3rd of people in the UK supportive of the move. The British Museum says that talks with Greece are onging and constructive."

The ground swell of musems and institutions returning items to their country of origin is adding to the pressure that the British Museum continues to face.

The request for the return of the sculptures removed from the Parthenon at the start of the 19th century was first made shortly after Greece gained indepence and repeated, with the most passionate call in the 80's by the then Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri.

Despite the repeated calls by Greece, there has not seen a shift in the British Museum's stance, which is also curtailed by the UK's Museum's Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC the government has "no plans to change the law" to allow a permanent return.

Not surprising that the Parthenon Marbles are regarded as a high profile case, and one that UNESCO has also been committed for four decades, to urging the UK to find a resolution to this cultural heritage dispute.The chair of trustees, George Osborne, has been conducting behind-the-scenes discussions with Prime Minister Mitsotaki's government for 18 months. 

This most recent poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Parthenon Project, a campaign launched in October 2022 by John Lefas, and Chaired by Lord Ed Vaizey, claims to be promoting a cultural cooperation agreement that would see the British Museum send the sculptures to the Acropolis Museum in Athens in return for what it calls "blockbuster artefacts that have never been seen outside Greece before".

This  generous offer of Greek artefacts not seen outside of Greece was first made by Greece 23 years ago, and repeated often. The British Museum has always stood its ground, offering to consider a short term loan of the sculptures to Greece.

This new survey shows that  64% of Britons are in favour of returning the Parthenon Sculptures if other unique Greek artefacts are loaned to British museums in exchange. It also showed that the overwhelming majority of Britons support cultural collaborations with museums in other countries. More specifically, 77% of Britons agree with this type of cooperation, while 68% believe such actions have a positive impact on the United Kingdom's relations with other states.

Surprisingly 77% of the British public have never seen the Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum while seven out of ten say that their return to Athens would not have an impact on their interest in visiting the British Museum.

The YouGov survey's sample included 2,294 adults, with the results published on the BBC and the Greek newspaper Ta Nea.

The Acropolis Museum will celebrate this year's August Full Moon with music, and dance. The event is aptly entitled “Tango Acropolis” and will be held at the Museum’s entrance courtyard, starting at 9 p.m.

On Tuesday evening, 01 August 2023 performances by world-renowned tango dancers, and a live music presentation will follow by the Orchestra “Con Estilo Tango” with tributes to great musicians of the Golden Age, such as Astor Piazzola, Osvaldo Pugliese and Juan d’ Arienzo, among others.

Professional and amateur tango dancers, including the public, will have the opportunity to participate in the dancing, as the Museum’s courtyard turns into a dance floor!

Music with Nikos Papadimitriou (piano), Lefteris Grivas (bandoneon), Lia Selalmazidi (violin).

Entrance to this event will be free.

On this day, the Museum will remain open until 12 midnight with free entry from 8 p.m. onwards and visitors will be able to enjoy the galleries and the view of the Acropolis under the August moonlight.

The restaurant on the second floor will be open during the same hours.

The event “Tango Acropolis” is held under the aegis of the Embassy of Argentina.

"I understand the issues related to history. I understand the issues that arise that relate to politics. I also understand the issues related to diplomacy and all the other issues that arise. "But, I don't see why the British government and the British Museum cannot start a discussion with the Greek government on the future of the Parthenon Sculptures."

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, 30 July 2022 in an interview with Ta Nea's UK correspondent, Yannis Andritsopoulos. To read the article follow the link here.

Fast forward to July 2023 and London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the marbles should be "shared" between the UK and Greece. Once again, he was quoted in Ta Nea, with translations of his quotes published in a number of other outlets including The Art Newspaper. 

"I obviously want Londoners to be able to see the Elgin Marbles, but I don't see why the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the museum in Athens can't come to an accommodation to share these wonderful, wonderful Elgin Marbles."

Khan continued, "I'd really encourage the British Museum, the British government, the government of Greece and the Acropolis Museum in Athens to talk about how we can make more progress on this very issue. I think it's important to have these discussions… in terms of the Elgin Marbles there's a discussion to share some of this stuff."

BCRPM wrote to the London Mayor, sending him a copy of Christopher Hitchen's book, 'The Parthenon Marbles: A case for Reunification', which was launched in London's Chatham House in May 2008, and continues to be read, and quoted widely.

Extract ftom BCRPM's letter, 07 July 2023, to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan below:

As you rightly comment it is indeed important to have discussions, but because ‘sharing’ the ownership of the Marbles is not part of Greece’s brief, please allow us to provide you with a few helpful facts to explain why this should be so, all of which are backed up by solid scholarship. (Seven points were raised).

The letter went on to add:

We would suggest that righting a long-standing wrong can only reflect well on the United Kingdom’s reputation in the world. The magnificent British Museum holds over 108,184 Greek artefacts, of which only 6,493 are ever on display. 

The Acropolis Museum’s Parthenon Gallery shows the sculptures and the frieze that remained in Greece and accurately reflect the way they were originally placed on the Parthenon building itself. Visitors here can envisage what they are denied in the enclosed gallery of The British Museum with its historically inaccurate display. Furthermore, in Athens they can clearly see the actual Parthenon through the vast windows that look across to the Sacred Rock upon which it still stands after two and a half thousand years. It is a thrilling connection for the visitor to enjoy.

Imagine if half of the dolmens of Stonehenge were stood amongst the ruins of Delphi, in Central Greece, it would be a standing insult to the history and self-image of these islands, would it not?

We find it very upsetting that The British Museum persists in informing its visitors, wrongly, that these Marbles were legally acquired; alas, they were not. 

UNESCO is wholly in favour of return. The UK stands alone on this long-standing question.

Mainly, however, we would urge that what is done, is done, and now surely is the time for Great Britain to be magnanimous and generous and to mend its tattered reputation for fair play? After 207 years it’s time the Marbles were quite simply returned to their home. Their story is unique and cannot be compared to any other disputed objects - where a case by case review is required.

Chair Janet Suzman and Vice-Chair, Professor Paul Cartledge, with Hon President Professor Anthony Snodgrass, and members of BCRPM.