Parthenon Marbles British Museum
The parthenon was built as a temple dedicated to the goddess athena.
Parthenon marbles british museum. The 2 500 year old sculptures were illegally torn off the parthenon in the 1800s taken to england and sold to the museum in 1816 by lord elgin. Elgin marbles collection of ancient greek sculptures and architectural details in the british museum london where they are now called the parthenon sculptures. The objects were removed from the parthenon at athens and from other ancient buildings and shipped to england by arrangement of thomas bruce 7th lord elgin who was british. Controversy over their acquisition by the british museum continues to this day.
The acropolis museum allows the parthenon sculptures that are in athens to be appreciated against the backdrop of ancient greek and athenian history. The trustees of the british museum make the following statement on the museum website in response to arguments for the relocation of the parthenon marbles to the acropolis museum. Plan and book your visit. It was the centrepiece of an ambitious building programme on the acropolis of athens.
In 1801 a british nobleman stripped the parthenon of many of its sculptures and took them to england. The parthenon sculptures in the british museum.