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 ar-
tistic genius of Greece, the preeminent symbol of the
Greek cultural heritage—its art, architecture, and democ-
racy—and of the contributions that modern Greeks and
their forefathers have made to civilization;
•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, in-
cluding 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 eco-
nomic 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 inte-
gral 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, de-
mocracy, 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;
•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 Par-
liament, and would set no legal precedent, nor in any
other way affect the ownership or disposition of other ob-
jects 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 Mar-
bles 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, pro-
tected from the elements in a safe, climate-controlled en-
vironment;
Whereas Greece has pledged to work with the British govern-
ment 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 Par-
thenon;
•HCON 436 IH
Whereas the British people support the return of the Par-
thenon 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 exam-
ining the issue of the disposition of the Parthenon Mar-
bles in hearings held in 2000; and
Whereas in 2004 the Olympic Games will take place in Ath-
ens, Greece—birthplace of the Olympics—and the Par-
thenon Marbles should be returned to their home in Ath-
ens by that time: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House (the Senate concurring), That
it is the sense of the Congress that the Government of
the United Kingdom should enter into negotiations with
the Government of Greece as soon as possible to facilitate
the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece before the
Olympics in 2004.
Æ