IV

107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 436

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should

be returned to Greece.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 9, 2002

Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. BERKLEY,

Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DOYLE, Ms.

ESHOO, Mr. FOSSELLA, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. KENNEDY of

Rhode Island, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. LEE, Mrs.

MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mrs. MINK of

Hawaii, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, and

Ms. WATERS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Parthenon

Marbles should be returned to Greece.

Whereas the Parthenon was built on the hill of the Acropolis

in Athens, Greece, in the mid-fifth century B.C. under

the direction of the Athenian statesman Pericles and the

design of the sculptor Phidias;

Whereas the Parthenon is the ultimate expression of the artistic genius of Greece, the preeminent symbol of the

Greek cultural heritage—its art, architecture, and democracy—and of the contributions that modern Greeks and

their forefathers have made to civilization;
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•HCON 436 IH

Whereas the Parthenon has served as a place of worship for

ancient Greeks, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics,

and Muslims;

Whereas the Parthenon has been adopted by imitation by the

United States in many preeminent public buildings, including the Lincoln Memorial;

Whereas over 100 pieces of the Parthenon’s sculptures—now

known as the Parthenon Marbles—were removed from

the Parthenon under questionable circumstances between

1801 and 1816 by Thomas Bruce, seventh Earl of Elgin,

while Greece was still under Ottoman rule;

Whereas the removal of the Parthenon Marbles, including

their perilous voyage to Great Britain and their careless

storage there for many years, greatly endangered the

Marbles;

Whereas the Parthenon Marbles were removed to grace the

private home of Lord Elgin, who transferred the Marbles

to the British Museum only after severe personal economic misfortunes;

Whereas the sculptures of the Parthenon were designed as an

integral part of the structure of the Parthenon temple;

the carvings of the friezes, pediments, and metopes are

not merely statuary, movable decorative art, but are integral arts of the Parthenon, which can best be appreciated

if all the Parthenon Marbles are reunified;

Whereas the Parthenon is a universal symbol of culture, democracy, and freedom, making the Parthenon Marbles of

concern not only to Greece but to all the world;

Whereas, since obtaining independence in 1830, Greece has

sought the return of the Parthenon Marbles;
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•HCON 436 IH

Whereas the return of the Parthenon Marbles would be a

profound demonstration by the United Kingdom of its

appreciation and respect for the Parthenon and classical

art;

Whereas returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece would be

a gesture of good will on the part of the British Parliament, and would set no legal precedent, nor in any

other way affect the ownership or disposition of other objects in museums in the United States or around the

world;

Whereas the United Kingdom should return the Parthenon

Marbles in recognition that the Parthenon is part of the

cultural heritage of the entire world and, as such, should

be made whole;

Whereas Greece would provide care for the Parthenon Marbles equal or superior to the care provided by the British

Museum, especially considering the irreparable harm

caused by attempts by the museum to remove the original

color and patina of the Marbles with abrasive cleaners;

Whereas Greece is constructing a new, permanent museum in

full view of the Acropolis to house all the Marbles, protected from the elements in a safe, climate-controlled environment;

Whereas Greece has pledged to work with the British government to negotiate mutually agreeable conditions for the

return of the Parthenon Marbles;

Whereas the people of Greece have a greater, ancient bond

to the Parthenon Marbles, which were in Greece for over

2,200 years of the over 2,430 year history of the Parthenon;
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•HCON 436 IH

Whereas the British people support the return of the Parthenon Marbles, as reflected in several recent polls;

Whereas a resolution signed by a majority of members of the

European Parliament urged the British government to

return the Parthenon Marbles to their natural setting in

Greece;

Whereas the British House of Commons Select Committee on

Culture, Media and Sport is to be commended for examining the issue of the disposition of the Parthenon Marbles in hearings held in 2000; and

Whereas in 2004 the Olympic Games will take place in Athens, Greece—birthplace of the Olympics—and the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to their home in Athens by that time: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House (the Senate concurring), That

2 it is the sense of the Congress that the Government of

3 the United Kingdom should enter into negotiations with

4 the Government of Greece as soon as possible to facilitate

5 the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece before the

6 Olympics in 2004.

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