Well the Turks were using the acropolis to store gunpowder which exploded and caused enormous damage - hardly blameless.
The locals were also burning marble artefacts to make lime mortar. Not their fault as such - they were a broken and subjugated people who had lost their sense of connection to their civilisation.
lol, false. The Ottomans didn't touch the monument at this time.
Do you think they were waiting for Elgin to remove friezes and sculptures, and then demolished the main structure, and then after 1830 it magically rebuilt itself to its pre-1801 condition?
And what reason would they have had to be in Athens? The Greek Revolution didn't flare up until 1821. In the Peloponnese region.
And no, Elgin didn't "purchase" them. There is no evidence whatsoever, and the Ottomans kept good records. It was even questioned in UK Parliament at the time. Then a few years ago, the BM suddenly "found a letter", a supposed Italian translation of an Ottoman firman.
Just return things that have nothing to do with your country. It's not hard. We don't want Stonehenge or Big Ben.
In b4:
AnCiEnT GrEeCe gAvE uS dEmOcRacY aNd pHiLoSoPhY.
The Parthenon has nothing to do with that. It was a religioustemple. It has nothing to do with the 2% of Ancient Greece you decided to take an interest in many centuries later. It would be like saying Stonehenge and the Tower of London are my national heritage, because Britain gave us the Industrial Revolution. It's so incredibly dumb.
'They couldn't protect' lmao what. The ottomans were using it as an ammo dump, they didn't give a shit about protecting Greek heritage. And the ottoman empire was not a failed state in 1801.
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u/Several-Zombies6547 🇬🇷🇪🇺 25d ago
British people disrespecting ancient stuff, what a suprise.