The Parthenon Marbles and International Law Assignment

Assignment Task

Background

The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, have been a subject of debate between the Greek and British governments for some time. These ancient marble sculptures, originally part of the Parthenon in Athens, were removed by Lord Elgin during the early 19th century and subsequently acquired by the British Museum.

The Parthenon Marbles are just one of many artifacts housed in the British Museum that have cultural significance for other countries and peoples. During the colonial era, collectors were commissioned to bring back items from their travels. Many objects were also brought back from military campaigns during the First and Second World Wars. The legal status of these acquisitions and their ongoing display is a subject of some debate.

Task

You work as a legal advisor for the Cultural Restitution Network, a not-for-profit legal agency dedicated to helping groups advocate for the return of their traditional property and cultural heritage. As part of your organization’s contribution to public debate on contemporary legal issues, you will write a research paper aimed at publication in an international law journal.

Your paper will analyze the international legal issues relating to the acquisition, display and return of cultural objects and artifacts held in foreign museums. It will present an argument on one or more aspects of the topic, supported by relevant research and reasoning.

You will use at least one object or set of objects as a case study to illustrate the legal issues and your argument.

Issues you may wish to examine include (but are not limited to):

1. The legal rules which applied to the acquisition of cultural objects at the time they were acquired;

2. How the law might have changed since then, and whether that has any effect on the current legal status;

3. The arguments put forward by different governments in relation to the acquisition/ possession/return of cultural objects;

4. Possible legal action that could be taken to try to secure the objects’ return;

5. Any practical or political considerations relating to the possession or return of the objects;

6. The effectiveness/appropriateness of international law in this area;

7. How the process of decolonizing international law might impact on this issue.

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