Last day in London before going on our bus tour of England, Wales and Scotland. It pretty much rained every day and therefore we were not really interested in Hyde park or the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Neither of us really needed to see Harrods’ department store. (I can just hear my friend Quynh thousands of miles away screaming in horror for me letting those words slip from my mouth)

So, we went to the British Museum because it was free and indoors and also because it had the Rosetta Stone which we have both always wanted to see. I mean the REAL Rosetta stone that allowed scholars to finally be able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was a major stepping stone in being able to learn about the past and to relearn a language that had been lost to antiquity. Without it we would not be able to read the writings in the tombs of Luxor in the Valley of the Kings or any of the other numerous artifacts that exist.

Also in the British Museum are the Parthenon Friezes and Sculptures (yes the 2500 year old Parthenon in Athens, Greece that was built as a dedication to the Greek goddess Athena) that have been on permanent public display in the museum since 1816. They were relocated here over the years 1801 - 1805 by Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, to which Athens belonged for about 350 years. Currently about 50% of the sculptures and friezes are here and the other 50% are in the Acropolis Museum. This of course causes much strife between Britain and Greece. Britain argues that the Ottoman empire gave them to Lord Elgin to preserve them and keep them from weathering and they are therefore legally theirs. They say that more people have access to them and can appreciate them in their museum due to the large numbers of visitors they receive worldwide per year. Greece argues that they are theirs and want them permanently “loaned” to them to be put in their New Acropolis Museum, when it is completed, where they will also be preserved and protected from weathering and enjoyed by many visitors per year. Who is right? Who is wrong? That is a tough issue that involves not only the legality but also the morality.

Hmm, who knows.

Tags: British Museum,Elgin Marbles,Parthenon Frieze,Rosetta Stone
Categories: Becky Blogs, London
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