The removal of the parthenon marbles.
The elgin marbles inventory number.
The parthenon marbles acquired by elgin include some 21 figures from the statuary from the east and west pediments 15 of an original 92 metope panels depicting battles between the lapiths and the centaurs as well as 75 metres of the parthenon frieze which decorated the horizontal course set above the interior architrave of the temple.
During 18 th and 19 th centuries educated and wealthy westerners held the firm belief that ancient greek art and architecture was the highest expression of civilization.
With this in mind in 1800 elgin dispatched a number of renowned artists to make sketches paintings and molds of ancient monuments in athens.
In practice the term is commonly used to refer to the stone objects he gathered an official greek website prefers looted from.
As such they represent more than half of what now.
Ownership of the artefacts once part of the 2 500 year old.
The final shipment of the elgin marbles reached london in 1812 and in 1816 the entire collection was acquired from elgin by the crown for the sum of 35 000 about half of elgin s costs.
It is one of a number of relics acquired by lord elgin in athens in the early 19th century now known collectively as the elgin marbles.
The elgin marbles.