Answer To: The Parthenon/Elgin Marbles A grant application to curate an exhibition of artefacts from my site,...
Akansha answered on Mar 08 2021
Grant Application 1
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Grant Application
Background and Description of Problem
The Elgin sculptures, or the Parthenon sculptures have become one of the biggest symbols of controversy and ownership amongst the Art and Antiquities world [4]. The sculptures have been a part of the British Museum ever since Lord Elgin had them removed from Parthenon in Greece. It brings the question of ownership of ancient artefacts, as well as the return of them to their origins as well.
The Parthenon sculptures, or the Elgin Sculptures, would include fragmented pieces of the inner chamber of the Parthenon. These were taken by Lord Elgin when he was an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire [5]. This had been taken by permission of the Ottoman empire, and was done in the fear that the marble would degrade due to lack of care by the empire.
The reaction to shipping of these items to Britain had been immediate, and drastic. Most people accused Lord Elgin of stealing and vandalism, since it was with the permission of the Greek people, or the Greek government that the sculptures had been taken [7]. It was due to the way in which they had been taken that the issue arose, and it even coined a new term, called Elginism, which occurs when antiquities are taken from the country of origin, usually poor, to another country, which is richer. There is no proof of Lord Elgin receiving permission for the removal of the antiquities of Greece from the Turkish Government, since it is based on heresy.
When the Parthenon in Greece was displayed in the New Acropolis Museum, the Greek Government had been involved in researching the artefacts and petitioning for them to be returned [2]. However, The British claimed that it was due to the potential for destruction that the remains had been brought to the country, and they would not be returned. However, it would be essential to look over the documentation and the sculptures as such, in order to claim that the Greek would have ownership, and therefore pressure the British Government into returning the sculptures.
The issue has been dear to many countries, since the British museums hold many treasures from countries that they had annexed or conquered. It is an important issue in terms of looking at ownership of article, which in those days, might have been stolen or taken away by force [6]. By returning the items, the British government would be accepting that the Greeks are no longer controlled by the Turkish, and it would be a major sign of goodwill as well. However, it would also lead to issues of major proportions, since many other countries, such as India and Pakistan, have also been having issues and fighting with the British in order to get treasures from their countries back as well. Thus, the issue is of immense significance in a post-colonized world.
The following is grant proposal in order to get some of the objects from The Parthenon to an exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum in New York, so that they can be examined, along with documentation, and returned to Greece if need be. It looks at the Research methods, budget and results as well, as well as a plan and schedule of the work.
Hypotheses
The first Hypothesis is that some information would be uncovered during the research in the Smithsonian, which could indicate that there is British ownership, or Greek ownership over the sculptures, which would indicate that they can be returned to their country.
The second hypothesis is that that both the countries could try negotiating, so that some of the pieces are sent to Greece, and some of them are sent back to Great Britain.
However, the third hypothesis is the null hypothesis, which would indicate that none of the above would happen, in which case, the United Nations might intervene in order to ensure that there are peaceful talks, and that a solution can be found out.
The test implications would be that if there are tests conducted, there should be evidence on the marbles somewhere, or some indication in the immense amount of historical documentation surrounding the marbles, as to whether or not they had been taken with the permission of the Turkish officials or not. There should be text, or marking indicative of the permission in the Earl’s library or study, and thus, it would be essential to look at that.
Research Methods
The main research methods would have to be a survey of the documents, and carefully looking at the documentation in order to identify whether the documentation is relevant to the marbles, or Lord Elgin’s times during the Ottoman empire. It would also be essential to survey the location of the Parthenon where the artifacts were taken from, since there might be some indication of whether they had been taken by force or by permission [8]. It would be essential to speak to those that have been living in the area, as to whether anyone remembers stories of the removal of the artifacts as well. It might also be beneficial to go back to any records of the Ottoman empire, and
How Results Will be used to Test the Hypothesis
The main method by which the results would be used to test the hypothesis would be by looking at the documents. If any incriminating documents are found, which suggest that the British had permission from the Turkish government, and if people in the area suggest that Lord Elgin asked for their permission as well, it would mean that the British Lord had permission in order to keep the items, which would imply that the British Government would have ownership. However, if there is no evidence found of the same, then it would mean that the Greek might have ownership over the property, which would mean that the Elgin Marbles would go to the New Acropolis Museum [1]. It could also mean that things would go either way, which would also validate the null hypothesis. This would make it a diplomatic battle between two countries, which could escalate and cause many issues as well.
Plan and Schedule of Work
The following would be the plan for the proposed site.
· Discussion with agencies in order to get grants and permission, and to arrange the shipping of various items that can be shipped. The coordinator of the project would be in charge of getting the items across safely. This would take approximately a month, since it would be hard to get all of the agencies to respond.
· After the items have arrived, the skilled workers, which would include historians from various parts of the world, would be given instructions and permitted to go through the documents [3]. There would be 5 historians, and 2 of them would be taken to the sites, which would include the Parthenon, the Earl’s study as well as Greek and Turkish museums. This would take around 6 months.
· Any unskilled workers, which would include college students as interns, would be given food, and would be allowed to work. This would also take around 6 months.
· A final decision-making process. This would be based on the findings, and would involve diplomats from either side, and the presence of international organizations as well. This process would take around 2 to 3 months, but depending on the findings, could also take a year or more as well.
Budget
Item
Cost
Skilled Workers
$ 30,000
Unskilled Workers
$ 10,000
Field Equipment
$ 2000
Travel Cost
$ 5000
Shipping Cost
$ 2000
Stay Cost
$ 1000
Bibliography
[1]J. Spickard, "Are we stealing the Elgin marbles? Unexpected twists in the effort to challenge western intellectual hegemony", Revue du MAUSS, vol. 51, no. 1, p. 59, 2018. Available: 10.3917/rdm.051.0059 [Accessed 7 March 2019].
[2]J. Beresford, "Museum of Light: The New Acropolis Museum and the Campaign to Repatriate the Elgin Marbles", Architecture_MPS, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-35, 2015. Available: 10.14324/111.444.amps.2015v7i1.001 [Accessed 7 March 2019].
[3]S. Thomas, "Human Objects, Object Rights: from Elgin’s Marbles to Bullock’s Laplanders", European Romantic Review, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 319-329, 2016. Available: 10.1080/10509585.2016.1163789 [Accessed 7 March 2019].
[4]J. Angouri, M. Paraskevaidi and R. Wodak, "Discourses of cultural heritage in times of crisis: The case of the Parthenon Marbles", Journal of Sociolinguistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 208-237, 2017. Available: 10.1111/josl.12232 [Accessed 7 March 2019].
[5]N. Tyler, T. Ligibel and I. Tyler, Historic preservation, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2018.
[6]T. Jenkins, Keeping their marbles, 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
[7]J. Arnold, K. Davies and S. Ditchfield, History and heritage, 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2014.
[8]G. Lotha, J. Cunningham and A. Tikkanen, "Elgin Marbles | Greek sculpture", Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Elgin-Marbles. [Accessed: 07- Mar- 2019].