Parthenon Marbles

Option #2

The way in which the museum displays and preserves the Parthenon Marbles is beautiful, however the issue at hand is weather or not these pieces are being represented in the way which they were intended to be, and if they should stay at the British Museum.   

   In my opinion, it is a tough call, on one hand it is amazing that these historic pieces were salvaged and put in a place where they can be viewed and preserved.  However, it is a “double edged sword”, due to the fact that we as curious humans can be selfish, by removing artifacts from the place in which they are meant to dwell might be infringing upon and disrespecting their all around purpose.  On one hand by having the pieces in the British Museum we are doing the world a favor by preserving historical pieces and enabling them to have a place in the future. However the concern I have is whether or not people are being fully educated with this display alone.  The marbles are magnificent pieces of art; however the historical purpose which they hold is not being accentuated.  The frieze for example is placed at the eye level of the viewer, which enables the details to be seen up close. They were created to be displayed at an elevated view point, high above the head of the viewer.  Being able to see these works up close is great, however it was meant to be seen from a distance.  Being able to see the human sculptures up close encourages the view to focus on the anatomy as well. Some of these representations could enable or antagonize contextual issues.  Because the marble is displayed as it was found it is raw and mostly white in color.  Yes, this is how the stone has weathered over the years, but there should be some kind of original depiction of these pieces of how they looked when they were first completed.  In my opinion, to display the findings as plain marble, just sitting on the floor is like only telling half the story.  If the frieze were to be displayed up high rather than on the floor, one would probably have a better appreciation and understanding for its existence.  I think that the average person does not know the history or importance of these pieces, which limits ones understanding of the agenda for which they were created.  I feel that if there were some kind of display which showcased the cult statue of Athena along with the findings it would be a more complete display.  

Once again, it is wonderful that in this time and age, the viewer is able to be up close and personal with these historical pieces, but unless there is an accurate depiction of the art, I feel that it is falsely represented.  It would be wonderful if the museum had some replica sculptures made, and maybe part of the frieze, all painted so that we could see a depiction of what they may have looked like originally.  It would be greatly beneficial as well as educational to have a scale model replica of the Parthenon, pediments, frieze as well as the sculptures along side the display. 

 I think the pieces should stay in a museum for preservation purposes; however if the British museum continues to hold on to these pieces, it needs to extend the display and elaborate the importance for how, and which they were originally created. Otherwise I am sure that the New Acropolis Museum would value the opportunity to share the heritage of these precious historical findings.