Greece is Buoyed by Turkish Official's Comments about Parthenon Sculptures Taken by Britain

The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin - The AP
The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin - The AP
TT

Greece is Buoyed by Turkish Official's Comments about Parthenon Sculptures Taken by Britain

The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin - The AP
The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin - The AP

One of the world’s most intractable cultural disputes is back in the spotlight after a Turkish official cast doubt on the existence of proof long cited by Britain that it had legally acquired the Parthenon Marbles, 2,500-year-old sculptures taken from the Acropolis in Athens.

Greece's culture minister said the comments made at a UNESCO meeting in Paris last week on the return of cultural property bolster Greece's argument that the sculptures were illegally removed from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis and should be returned.

The antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, Britain's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire which ruled Greece at the time, and are housed in the British Museum in London. Greece has long campaigned for their return.

The museum maintains Elgin removed the sculptures legally after Ottoman authorities granted him an imperial edict, or “firman,” allowing him do so.

But Zeynep Boz, the head of the Turkish Culture Ministry’s anti-smuggling committee, said at a meeting of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property in Paris that no such document has been found.

As the successor to the Ottoman Empire, "Türkiye is the country that would have the archived document pertaining to things that were sold legally at that time,” Boz told The Associated Press Wednesday. “Historians have for years searched the Ottoman archives and have not been able to find a ‘firman’ proving that the sale was legal, as it is being claimed.”

Boz added she felt obliged to intervene during the UNESCO meeting after a British participant said in his speech that the Elgin Marbles were bought legally during the Ottoman era.

“To have remained silent would have amounted to acknowledging the British claim,” she said. “I had to say: ‘We are not aware of such a document’.”

The only known existing document referring to the imperial edict is an Italian translation.

However, Boz said it has “no signature, no stamp, no tughra (official seal of the sultan). Nothing to make it official. The document it allegedly refers to is nowhere to be found.”

While ties between Greece and Türkiye are often strained and the two countries are at odds over a wide series of issues, including territorial claims, both seek the return of cultural artifacts removed from their territories and currently housed in museums around the world.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the comments bolstered Greece’s argument that Elgin illegally removed the sculptures.

“There never was an Ottoman ‘firman’ granting Elgin the permission to treat the Parthenon Sculptures with the brutality with which he did,” Mendoni said Tuesday. “Türkiye's representative (at the UNESCO meeting) confirmed what the Greek side has been arguing for years. That there was no ‘firman’.”

Mendoni said Greece remained “open to dialogue” and would continue its efforts for the return of the sculptures, which have a place set aside for them in the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

While the British Museum is banned by law from permanently returning the sculptures, its leaders have held talks in the recent past with Greek officials about a possible compromise that could see the sculptures displayed in both Athens and London.

Those efforts suffered a setback last November, when a diplomatic spat erupted over the marbles and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak abruptly canceled a planned meeting with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Asked about Boz's comments, the British Museum referred to a statement it gave to the UNESCO meeting reiterating its desire for a “Parthenon partnership” to resolve the dispute, and said it had nothing more to add.

“The British Museum recognizes the strong desire of Greece for the Parthenon Sculptures in London to be returned to Athens,” the statement said. “This is a question with a very long history, and we understand and respect the strong feelings that this debate commands."

It said it was “keen to develop a new relationship with Greece — a ‘Parthenon partnership’ — and to explore the possibility of innovative ways of working (with our Greek friends) in the hope that understanding of the Parthenon Sculptures deepens and continues to inspire people across the world.”



Cambodian Archaeologists Discover a Dozen Centuries-Old Sandstone Statues at Angkor UNESCO Site

 This handout photo provided by Apsaras National Authority shows a centuries-old sandstone statue being measured at Angkor Thom in Cambodia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Phouk Chea/Apsaras National Authority via AP)
This handout photo provided by Apsaras National Authority shows a centuries-old sandstone statue being measured at Angkor Thom in Cambodia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Phouk Chea/Apsaras National Authority via AP)
TT

Cambodian Archaeologists Discover a Dozen Centuries-Old Sandstone Statues at Angkor UNESCO Site

 This handout photo provided by Apsaras National Authority shows a centuries-old sandstone statue being measured at Angkor Thom in Cambodia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Phouk Chea/Apsaras National Authority via AP)
This handout photo provided by Apsaras National Authority shows a centuries-old sandstone statue being measured at Angkor Thom in Cambodia, Oct. 24, 2024. (Phouk Chea/Apsaras National Authority via AP)

Archaeologists in Cambodia have unearthed a dozen centuries-old sandstone statues in a “remarkable discovery” at the Angkor World Heritage Site near the city of Siem Reap, authorities said Wednesday.

The statues — depicting so-called “door guardians” — were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, said Long Kosal, spokesman for the Apsara National Authority, the government agency that oversees the archaeological park.

Teams were assessing the ancient gate's structure and searching for fallen stones around the portal on the north side of Angkor Thom, one of four entrances to the complex, when the discovery was made.

The statues depict guardians standing at attention and vary in size from about 1 meter to 110 centimeters, or about 39 to 43 inches. They were found buried at depths of up to 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) and some are in surprisingly good shape, with each featuring unique facial hair ornaments, adding to their distinctiveness, archaeologist Sorn Chanthorn said.

“Experts believe these door guardian statues exemplify the Khneang Style, aligning with the construction period of the 11th-century palace.” the Apsara National Authority said.

Angkor Thom is part of the Angkor Archaeological Park, a complex that sprawls over some 400 square kilometers (155 square miles), named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 and one of Southeast Asia's most popular tourist destinations.

It contains the ruins of Khmer Empire capitals from the 9th to 15th centuries, including the temple of Angkor Wat.

The site, near Siem Reap, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Phnom Penh, drew more than 500,000 international visitors in the first half of 2024, according to Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry.

The archaeological dig was a collaborative project between Apsara and the China-Cambodia Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor, Apsara said.

Following the discovery of the statues, the archaeological team carefully documented their positions before removing them for cleaning and restoration. They will eventually be returned to their original locations, authorities said.

Many Khmer cultural treasures were looted during the long period of civil war and instability when Cambodia was ruled by the brutal communist Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

Cambodia has benefited from a trend that in recent decades has seen the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures taken from their homelands. In August, it celebrated the return of dozens of artifacts from museums and private collections abroad.

It has also come under criticism for efforts to clean up the Angkor site, which has involved relocating thousands of families in what Amnesty International has condemned as a “gross violation of international human rights law.”

At its meeting in July, the UN's World Heritage Committee recommended that Cambodia invite a new team of experts to monitor the situation.