Acropolis Museum to Host Int’l Meeting on Return of Parthenon Marbles

Aiming to strengthen the call for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece, the Greek Culture Ministry and the Acropolis Museum will hold an international meeting, under the title “Parthenon and Democracy”, on Friday, September 16.

The meeting, scheduled to take place at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, will mark the one-year anniversary of the landmark decision made by the UNESCO Summit which, in addition to the legal, right and ethical aspect of the Greek request for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum, also recognized its transnational/intergovernmental character. The decision was ratified by all participating states at the May 2022 UNESCO Assembly in Paris.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna V. Vardinoyiannis have been announced to be the event’s welcome speakers. Keynote speeches will be given by a number of experts including Cambridge University Professor of Greek Culture Paul Cartledge and Archaeologist and Historian Dr. Christiane Tytgat, who also serves as President of the Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

Recent developments regarding the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles include the strong support of the British press since last year and the June 2022 permanent reunification in the east frieze of the Parthenon of the ‘Fagan fragment’, which depicts the leg extremities of goddess Artemis, and was returned by Palermo’s Antonino Salinas Museum.

The “Parthenon and Democracy” meeting will follow the General Assembly of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures which will take place the previous day at the Acropolis Museum. The event will be open for the public and will be available for viewing via live stream via the Acropolis Museum’s YouTube Channel.