New film 'proves beyond shadow of a doubt' that Elgin Marbles were stolen, director claims

A caller documentary proves "beyond immoderate shadiness of a doubt" that the Elgin Marbles were stolen, according to its director.

David Wilkinson claims The Marbles settles 1 of the astir divisive debates successful taste heritage: whether 19th-century diplomat Lord Elgin legally acquired the Parthenon Sculptures, amended known arsenic the Elgin Marbles.

The movie revisits however the sculptures were removed from the Parthenon successful Athens portion Greece was nether Ottoman regularisation - and ended up successful London.

It argues that Lord Elgin did not legally get the artefacts - and instead, it amounts to "the top heist successful creation history".

Actor Brian Cox, historiographer Dominic Selwood and solicitor Mark Stephens are among those who look successful the documentary.

The British authorities bought the sculptures from Lord Elgin and installed them into the trusteeship of the British Museum, wherever they person remained for 200 years.

"He needed the wealth from the British authorities to wage for each the bribes he'd fixed to members of the Ottoman Empire," Wilkinson says of the transaction.

"Lord Elgin did merchantability them ... but the question becomes, did Lord Elgin really person the close to acquisition them?"

Classical archaeologist Mario Trabucco della Torretta dismisses Wilkinson's claims.

"The allegation of bribery to get the Marbles is conscionable incorrect successful humanities terms," helium told Sky News.

Torretta was the cardinal designer behind a associated missive that included erstwhile premier curate Liz Truss, historiographer Dr David Starkey and Sir John Redwood - alleging the British Museum is portion of a "covert" and "accelerating campaign" to instrumentality the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

Responding to Wilkinson's claims of bribery, helium added: "The lone notation to 'presents' comes years aft the commencement of the removals … bash radical presume that they tally a 'bribe now, wage later' strategy backmost past successful Constantinople?"

One of the astir contentious points successful the statement is the legitimacy of an Ottoman support papers known arsenic a "firman", which is claimed to person authorised Lord Elgin removing the items from Greece.

There is lone an Italian substance referred to arsenic a translation of this document.

Wilkinson said: "It was mean signifier astatine the clip that a transcript would beryllium kept successful what was past Constantinople, and different transcript would person been sent disconnected to Athens.

"There would beryllium a grounds successful Istanbul and the Turks person gone done it successful large item implicit galore decades and they tin find nothing."

Speaking to Sky News successful 2024, Dr Zeynep Boz - caput of combatting illicit trafficking for Turkey's civilization ministry - said determination is nary impervious of the firman successful the Ottoman archive.

"Despite extended archival research, nary specified firman has been found. It is adjacent hard to telephone this papers a translation erstwhile the archetypal is not available," she said astatine the time.

Torretta offers an explanation: "Burning the Ottoman governor's archive was 1 of the archetypal acts of the Greek revolution."

While the arguments are not new, The Marbles besides examines however different institutions person handled akin restitution cases.

In the film, Cox says if the marbles would person gone backmost to Athens already if they had recovered their mode to Edinburgh and not London.

Back successful 2023, the National Museum of Scotland returned The House Of Ni'isjoohl memorial pole to Canada.

Meanwhile, Glasgow's Kevingrove Art Gallery Museum returned a garment to the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center successful the US.

And erstwhile it comes to the Parthenon Sculptures - Germany's Heidelberg University and The Vatican person some returned fragments to Greece.

The British Museum Act 1963 prevents treasures being legally fixed distant by the British Museum.

The authorities has repeatedly it has nary plans to alteration existing argumentation connected restitution, and that it is up to the trustees of the depository to decide.

A spokesperson for the British Museum repeated a connection fixed to Sky News successful July: "Discussions with Greece astir a Parthenon Partnership are ongoing and constructive."

The documentary scrutinises the morals of overseas nationalist treasures that were taken and are present housed successful Western museums, but arsenic it stands the organization and governmental answers don't look to beryllium changing.

The Marbles is successful UK and Irish cinemas from today.