[Karen W.]

That sounds amakable!

[ukmicky (OP)]

The only problem with lending them to the greeks is they would never get them back.

[Karen W.]

 And that sounds probable!!! LOL

[jysk]

It sounds like the Greeks have really lost their marbles. []

Mike

[Hadrian]

They are the spoils of an imperial past. You need them like all the other stuff you country stole to hold on to the illusion of a “Grate Britain” superior in all respects. How much grater you be if you did not need them.   [] 

[ukmicky (OP)]

So we're superior so what ,i dont care , its not a big deal to us ,i suppose  we've become use to it. 
 Anyway the way i see it is it gives all them lesser countries something to aim for, it shows them that if they try hard enough, they to can become great.  []

Prime example look at America their trying, at the moment their only United but you never know they too if they try hard enough can become Great .  The Great States, its even got a good ring to it. []

[neilep]

Can't we just build a miniature ?..give that to them and tell them it shrunk in the wash !!

[Karen W.]

IT shrunk in the wash... LOL LOL

[Hadrian]

Happy Christmas to you and your illusions of grandeur. The only plundering you can do these days is from the crumbs swept off the world by the American democratic slide of hand tricks. Its not that you are used to greatness it’s that your to arrogant to know it’s fake.   []

[RRR]

Neilep did write:   "Will ewe let me at them before they get returned ?.."
NO !.. 

Daveshorts did write:
"The only problem with this arguement is that if everyone had to give back all the art that has been historically stolen, the louvre would be half empty, the russians would have to give back all the stuff they pinched in the second world war..."

If everyone had to give back all the art that has been historically stolen then it can be a  good action for
international relations between countries and for a peace in the world....
Any english specialists can create  for the British Museum a copy of the Parthenon's marble.
White marble is rare and precious material to copy something in a marble.. If England has a marble's lack  then any english specialists  can create for a collection of  the British museum a gypsum's fake....

But an original of the Elgin marble (Parthenon's marble)  it is need to return to Greece.
The only legal  place for the Elgin marble (Parthenon's marble)  it is the Parthenon in Athens,Greece.

[daveshorts]

Yes but do we give the stuff back which we bought from someone who bought it from someone who stole it from a monastary 800 years ago? What about if the money used to make something came from stealing stuff in a war?  Or what happens if someone stole something due to a dodgy government order - should the british give back a third of their land to the Catholic Church? Or should the Catholic church give most of it's land to the druids?

Basically once you get more than a few generations ago it all gets silly. Some religion - sorry I can't remmeber which - has a rule on disputes which says, you are not allowed to argue about anything that happened more than 5 generations ago as it will just get silly, I think this is a pretty good principle.

[Ophiolite]

The only legal  place for the Elgin marble (Parthenon's marble)  it is the Parthenon in Athens,Greece.

as a resident of the north east of Scotland I can safely say the rightful place for the Elgin marbles is in Elgin. []

[ukmicky (OP)]

Thankyou everybody i shall send the results of the poll to the Greek embassy

[RRR]

Happy Christmas to you!
==========================================================
DAVESHORTS DID WRITE: "OR SHOULD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH GIVE MOST OF IT'S LAND TO THE DRUIDS?"
The  druids did disappear 1000 years ago...
It is impossible  to give something to the druids because  the druids are not exist now.
==========================================================
DAVESHORTS DID WROTE: "SHOULD THE BRITISH GIVE BACK A THIRD OF THEIR LAND TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?"
For example, In Italy there was the  problem with lands  in relations between Italian government and Roman Popes... The Italian government did decide the problem  with the Latheran agreement between Italy and Vatican on February 11, 1929.  According to the Latheran agreement, the Catholic Church has not any territorial claims  to Italy but Italian government  did pay for it  a financial compensation  (with 1 000 000 000 US dollars of total payments ) to the Catholic Church .
 The United Kindgom and Vatican  can sign  an agreement similar to the Latheran agreement. between Italy and Vatican..
==========================================================
DAVESHORTS DID WRITE: ".. WE BOUGHT FROM SOMEONE WHO BOUGHT IT FROM SOMEONE WHO STOLE IT FROM A MONASTARY 800 YEARS AGO"
 If now  the monastary is exist   then it is need to return the thing to the monastary.
===========================================================================
DAVESHORTS DID WRITE: "WHAT ABOUT IF THE MONEY USED TO MAKE SOMETHING CAME FROM
STEALING  STUFF IN A WAR?"
If it is proved the moneys were stolen and if it is known a name of legal owner of the moneys then it is need to return the money to the legal owner.
===========================================================================
OPHIOLITE DID WRITE:"as a resident of the north east of Scotland I can safely say the rightful place for the Elgin marbles is in Elgin."
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
 ===========================================================================
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!  
 

[daveshorts]

But why should someone who just by fluke of being related to someone who died 1000 years ago have a stronger title to something than the person who has worked hard to earn the money to buy it, just because it was stolen 1000 years ago?

What about gold that has been melted down and changed into other things?

But all the land the catholic church owned, they only owned because local warlords stole stuff of their subjects and then felt guilty so gave it to the church, WHERE DO YOU STOP?

[AlphBravo]

Given that the said marbles are actually a relief that crowns the Parthenon,(55mx1m approx of) they should be returned to the Parthenon, like how hard is it to replicate them, yes they are a very significant example of sculpture, but who really would know? Nothing like returning that which was essentially filched, by dodgy means.

[another_someone]

It was not

Nothing like returning that which was essentially filched, by dodgy means.

It was not filched by dodgy means.  It was bought under legitimate trade with the then recognised owners.  Ofcourse, this all goes back to the issue about whether the Greeks ever considered the Turks to be legitimate owners of anything Greek, but at the time there was no recognised Greek state.  The other problem is that the very value placed upon historic artifacts has changed with time (it is a little like selling some old painting you had in the attic, then later realising that the painting was really a masterpiece, and you had grossly undervalued it, and thus demanding it back - you sold it for what you thought it was worth at the time - that you later think it might be worth more is too late).

[rosy]

Um.. interesting thread (and not one I noticed first time round...) but possibly not actually related to geology/paleantology as such? Nothing in it that isn't straight politics.

[another_someone]

Um.. interesting thread (and not one I noticed first time round...) but possibly not actually related to geology/paleantology as such? Nothing in it that isn't straight politics.

Agreed - so it has been moved.