More than half of Britons support the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens, according to a YouGov poll published by The Times, with backing rising further when the return is tied to wider cultural cooperation between Greece and the United Kingdom. Asked whether the sculptures should remain at the British Museum in London or be returned to the Acropolis Museum, 52% supported their return and 20% were against.
Support for a cultural deal
In a second question, participants were asked about a cultural cooperation agreement between Greece and Britain under which the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, would return to Athens and British museums could host major Greek archaeological finds and exhibitions on loan, including objects never before shown outside Greece. Some 58% said they would support such an agreement, while 9% would oppose it. According to The Times, just one in five Britons now believes the sculptures, created around 2,500 years ago to adorn the Parthenon, should remain at the British Museum. The newspaper also reported that a possible deal for their permanent reunification at the Acropolis Museum would be combined with loans of important Greek antiquities to British museums, including the famous Mask of Agamemnon.
The poll was carried out in mid-October among around 2,500 adults on behalf of the Parthenon Project, an organisation campaigning for the sculptures’ return to Athens. The Times noted that it comes as efforts to reach an agreement continue, highlighting the gap between British public opinion and the constraints that still stand in the way of the sculptures’ permanent return to Greece.
Source: CNA, The Times
