US Congress lobbies for the return of the marbles of Parthenon to Greece.

[Bereta_Eder]

I only got the news in Greek.

http://greece.flash.gr//soon/2002/7/16/18993id/

I would just like to say thanks to the US and the Americans for taking initiative and supporting us in this noble quest. To bring the marbles of Parthenon back to Acropolis from where they are held in captivity in the British Museum

Thanks

I'd just like to try and translate back to english the names of the american senators who have taken action for the US Congress to vote in favor and lobby for the return of the marbles to their place of origin.

(sorry for the spellking mistakes - Translated from Greek)

Fitzerald, Toriceli, Liberman, Sarbanis, Pain, Maloni, Blumenaouer, Berclay, Berman, Blakocevic, Crawly, Doyle, Essou, Fossela, Gilman, Hidsi, Kenedy, Nolemberg, Lantos, Lee, Moagovern, McNalti, Mink, Palown, Ros- Leitinen, Roybart Allard, Waters, Bilirakis.

Again thank you very much

The marbles of Parthenon will return and when they do, initiatives and the help of all those who added to this effort will be remembered

[Imran Siddiqui]

They are all sorry that Greece has lost its marbles .

[Chris 62]

Imran, you dirty *******, I was just about to use that stupid joke!

[Imran Siddiqui]

MWAHAHAH

[C0ckney]

HA! We'd give up Gibraltar before we return your marbles..oh crap..

[Starchild]

While I don't care one way or the other about some fancy calcium carbonate blocks, it's heart warming to see the USA once again supporting it's unfailing ally the UK and show how much the "special friendship" matters to it. Raise the tariffs a bit a bit more, makes us feel all special inside.

[*End Is Forever*]

Yesterday random Senators were talking about Sesame Street. Today they are talking about marbles. Don't they have anything do to up on Capitol Hill?

[Sprayber]

I saw an article a while back where some in the Australian goverment supported the return of the marbles. Don't know where it was though.

[Chris 62]

They must be like poly posters, always concerned about the other guy's country Iain!

[Alex]

I support the return of the marbles to Sesame Street!!

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by *End Is Forever*
Don't they have anything do to up on Capitol Hill?

Not really. Feel free to snub them. It isn't even close to a majority of Senators.

[Winston]

Surely there must have just been a documentary on Parthenon's bygone splendour for so many lawmakers to get involved. At least that's the way it's done here. Show a 40 minute program depicting the outrageous conditions homeless cats have to endure and a special session is called in the Parliament.

Still, fanatic nationalism about ancient times is an important trait in Greek culture, so let's play along this time also.

[Alex]

Originally posted by Winston

Still, fanatic nationalism about ancient times is an important trait in Greek culture, so let's play along this time also.

hey, we're talking about the pinnacle of human civilisation here!

[DerSchwarzfalke]

Since when does the US Congress debate anything of serious importance to the people of the country? To the serious interests of the lobby groups, yep, but nothing else.

I think the people need a lobby group

[Dauphin]

In 1978, a European court ruled the marbles were the property of the British Museum, and that's in Europe. So is Greece. European heritage is held in Europe. what's the problem?

And even if the marbles were returned to Greece -they wouldn't go back up on the Parthenon but move from a British to a Greek museum. In Athens? Not necessarily. That's because other regions have prior claims. In the 5th century BC, Athens and its neighbours united as the Delian League to fight the Persians. Athens then appropriated the communal war chest which Pericles used to beautify Athens.

So the Parthenon's frieze and metopes weren't paid for by Athenians after all, and the next campaign for the return of the marbles could conceivably come from Naxos, Thasos, Boeotia and the rest of the league (now partly in Greece and partly in Turkey).

Of course, if the descendants of Phidias's wife put in a bill for all that unpaid housework supporting her sculptor husband, then even at a modest interest rate, auctioning off the Elgin marbles wouldn't cover it.