Western museums- should antiquites be returned?

Spoils of war buddy, ours now.

This is certainly true for some countries, but I doubt if by now, the Greeks have not proven they can actually take care of their own artefacts, or the Egyptians... I dont believe everything should be shipped back at once, but some debate and cooperation between countries and museums on this point is a necessety.

actually, most obelisks where stolen by invaders, like the Romans and Napoleon. Nobody cared to ask. And goods that were bought from graverobbers and such are not legitmately owned. Nor are works of art which were carted out by foreign opressors. The Germans had to give it all back after the war, why shouldnt the British give back what they stole as foreign opressors? At least think about it. Its also a bit arrogant to think the British are the only ones who can take care of them.

Edited by Aelfgifu - 01-Jul-2006 at 08:54

Maybe they would, maybe not. Its not really an excuse is it. We're talking about now.

I think everything should stay where it is now. Most of the countries where these artefacts would go to if they were returned are simply to volatile and unpredictable. And I really don't like how some Museums have some of their best Treasures in storage, everything in my opinion should be on display!

It's better to keep them all in a few places, like the British Museum and the Louvre, rather than have them spread all over the world. The way it is now we can go to those aforementioned museums as well as others and see collections from all over the world, instead of spending a fortune on travelling around to different places just to see isolated parts of it. I also doubt how many countries can compete with England and France when it comes to historical preservation, I feel some of these countries that demand "their" artefacts back have little understanding of the value of history and do so mostly out of national pride.

More importantly, the British Museum and the Louvre are within a reasonable distance from where I'm sitting.

Well if european cultures were looted by an invader from half way around the world (for sake of argument let's say china}, wouldn't europeans want their cultural artifacts back? The chinese had no influence culturally on the pieces they took, they just like them and their value. Don't you think that china should give back these relics simply because it's someone else's heritage even if they did take it as loot?

When it comes to Hellas,and Ancient Hellenic relics,things are rather complicated.You see ,every part of an Ancient Hellenic temple ,which ,for example, is  in some foreign museum,was designed and built by the Ancients specifically in accordance with the surrounding environment of it's location.For example Parthenon,Oracle of Delhoi and hundrends of others.If you put them in another location or,even worse,inside another building then they loose their real ethical and esthetic value,they become toys of commercialized tourism.Of course a foreigner cannot easily understand that. They should definently return to the location they were designed to exist.

Promote education to Western individuals,while depriving it from the original nation.Why should i go to the UK to see the marbles of Parthenon,the relics of my country and civilization and not the other way around?Why shouldn't the British and Western Europeans come to Hellas to see it?What,they are better than i am?Bollocks!

Edited by Spartakus - 02-Jul-2006 at 13:44

Yeah,who forgets the "philantropy" of Lord Elgin?Not to mention what happened in Egypt.How many ancient tombs were desecreted because some believed that they would find some kind of gold.Even the Pyramids of Giza.And on and on.The bad thing is ,that even today there are many  "elgins"  who steal ancient relics from various cultures in order to "flourish" private collections of rich people,or the collections of Western Museums and Galleris.

Edited by Spartakus - 02-Jul-2006 at 14:07