What are the Elgin Marbles and why have talks over their ownership collapsed?

24 Sep 2026 • 5:44 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

What are the Elgin Marbles and why have talks over their ownership collapsed?

  • Five years of negotiations between Greece and the British Museum over the Elgin Marbles have reportedly collapsed with no plans to resume.
  • The breakdown stems from a disagreement over legal ownership, with the British Museum claiming it can only lend the Parthenon sculptures under existing UK law.
  • Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated Greece will not accept any deal requiring it to recognise British Museum ownership or 'borrow' its own monument.
  • Mr Mitsotakis rejected loan models such as the Bayeux Tapestry, arguing that displaying a single divided masterpiece across London and Athens is unacceptable.
  • Greece has formally demanded the return of the Parthenon sculptures since 1983, disputing the legality of their 19th-century removal by the Earl of Elgin.

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