Right then! The Elgin Marbles are arguably the British Museum's most famous, long term exhibit. You can thank this wacky bastard for their having been taken from the Parthenon in Athens, as well as their English given title.
There are folk of both countries that would like them returned to their rightful place, but frankly I do not see this happening anytime soon. This is if only for the fact that both countries generally have much higher priorities to worry about and because the timelessness of the Elgin Marbles doesn't exactly put any great urgency to the matter.
I wish I had the kind of photographic memory which would have let me piece the marbles into the Parthenon using memories from my trip to Athens, but alas I could only sort of guess. Still, it was interested to know that I have now seen the almost the literal entirety of the Parthenon (a handful of pieces are scattered amongst other national museums, though the Swiss and the Germans are notable for having given theirs back).
One nice thing about seeing the marbles was that I wasn't trying to blink back a blazing sun while I observed them, nor where the milling tourists nearly so thick (in more than one sense of the word). Being able to properly focus on some of the statues, like this torso of Poseidon, better allowed me to connect with the majesty of the artistry and the myths to which they are connected.
Though you can find all sorts of statements and explanations for what happened regarding the transfer of the marbles and the reasons for keeping or giving them back...I thought it'd be fun to grab a picture of the explanations given on large plaques just outside the entrance to the exhibit.
--------------In unrelated news, the fourteen tenets of a fascist regime are a hell of a thing to read when you realize that everyone's favorite American administration has checked of every single one.
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