Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα: Στο «φως» για πρώτη φορά η αλληλογραφία Ελλάδας και Βρετανίας - Αποκαλύπτεται αδιαλλαξία του Λονδίνου

8 Επιχειρηματα για τα γλυπτα του ΠαρθενωναΤα σημειο 8,5 και 6 ειναι αρκετα σπανια. 1 ) Elgin never presented a single document to the British Parliamentary committee back in 1816, to verify he had permission to remove the Parthenon stones. He said to the committee that the Ottoman "firman", the document given to him, was lost. The only document the committee saw, was an English translation of an Italian translation of an original Ottoman "firman" by Elgin's proxy, the Rev. Philip Hunt. Hunt's original Ottoman firman was also lost... Hunt manipulated the English translation by adding his name instead of the initials N.N, the Italian translation had in the first sentence of its second paragraph. In addition, Hunt, added a signature while the Italian version had no signatures at all. In the Italian translation which corresponds to the second firman, the one Hunt used, the language is very ambiguous. It talks about removing " qualche pezzi di pietra " which only occasionally translates as "some" or "few" because the first firman clearly states that the artists involved should only do drawings, walk on the hill, view the artefacts or excavate if they find it necessary, in search of inscriptions among the rubbish. It is also not clear what is the role of the Italian Giovanni Lusieri on the Italian translation, the coordinator of Elgin's marble collection in Athens and the man who actually removed the stones from the Parthenon for the British Ambassador. What is evident without a doubt is the lack of any clear authorization to remove marble statuary from the Parthenon edifice. The committee saw only the English translation never the Italian one ( the changes Reverend Hunt made on the text, in other words ) and with that paper printed at the apendix of its 1816 report and after a narrow vote, the Parliament decided to buy from Elgin the Parthenon marbles and hand them to the British Museum ! 2 ) What we do have from Elgin is his correspondence with Lusieri. And is very troubling. " I have, my Lord, the pleasure of announcing to you the possession of the eighth metope, that one where there is the centaur carrying off the woman. This piece has caused much trouble in all respects and I have been obliged to be a little barbarous" wrote the Italian to Elgin. In another letter he hoped the barbarisms he had commited to be forgotten. On July 10, 1801, Elgin wrote to Lusieri " Besides, you have now the permission to dig, and there a great field is opened for medals, and for the remains both of sculpture and architecture." If Elgin had permission to go after the marbles, he would have celebrated that power, not the permission to dig or excavate that he describes. 3 ) It is not within the power of the British Museum, or indeed the cabinet alone, to return the stones to Greece. Only an act of Parliament can reverse the government's acquisition. What most people don't know is that, in fact, right after The British Museum acquired the marbles, a small group of MPs felt the marbles should be held in a trust until their return was demanded by the city of Athens. In addition, back in the year 2000, the British weekly "Economist" contacted a poll on the subject and found nearly 85% of the Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs would return the marbles, if there were a free vote in the House of Commons. 4 ) During the first 18 months, Elgin paid the military governor of the Acropolis a sum amounting to 35 times his official annual salary in return for being allowed to "stretch" the terms of the firman... The bribery ammounted to a quarter of the costs of removing the antiquities from Athens, according to the British historian William St Clair. ( "Lord Elgin and the Marbles : The Controversial History of the Parthenon Sculptures"). 5 ) Research into the chemistry of antiquities, conservation and restoration is probably more advanced in Greece than anywhere else. The work of an elderly chemistry professor, Thedore Skoulikides, on reversing the worst effects of pollution on marble surfaces, and by Manolis Korres on the technology of constructing ancient buildings, are considered the finest in the world. One curator at the British Museum insists that, "Because of the Greeks' work we know more about the marbles than we have ever known." ( Economist, March 21, 2000) 6 ) Back in 1999, the New York Times reported news of a symposium that took place in London, a symposium on the state of the Parthenon stones in the British Museum. 200 archaelogists, curators and cultural officials clashed over the way the stones were treated over the years. But in one point , Ian Jenkins, the Museum's assistant keeper of the Department of Greek and Roman antiquities, confirmed that in 1937, Museum cleaners had used steel wool, carborundum, hammers and copper chisels to "skin the Marbles" original stained patina and that the Museum had conducted an "illegal and improper cover-up" of the flawed work to British political and religious authorities. He called it a "scandal". (The New York Times - Dec 2, 1999/ A4 ) 7 ) The 1801 British defeat of the French in Egypt, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, gave Elgin the authority to ask the Ottomans for permission to remove the statues from the Parthenon. The Ottomans wanted to get control of Egypt once again. That is why they succumbed so easily to the wishes of the British Ambassador. 8 ) Επιχειρημα που εδωσα προσωπικα στον αρχαιολογο Παντερμαλη το 2012. Ειναι επιχειρημα-απαντηση στον περιβοητο Νιλ Μακ Γκρεγκορ που ειχε επιχειρηματολογησει για το ΒΜ οτι τα γλυπτα πρεπει να μεινουν στο Λονδινο γιατι ειναι οικουμενικα, οπως ο Μπετοβεν και ο Σαιξπιρ. Οταν ο γνωστος αμερικανος Π. Τ. Μπαρνουμ, πηγε να αγορασει την οικια γεννησης του Σαιξπιρ το 1847 στο Στρατφορντ, αμεσως οι Βρετανοι εκαναν εκστρατεια ( την εκστρατεια Ντικενς - Μακ Ρ'ε'ιντι με δημοσια συνδρομη ) και του κοψαν τον βηχα. Το καναν αυτο γιατι νοιωσαν οτι καποιος μη-βρετανος ηθελε να κανει ιδιοκτησια του κομματι της ιστοριας τους, κατι το οποιο καταρριπτει το επιχειρημα του Νιλ Μακ Γκρεγκορ, δικαιωνει οσους θελουν να επανενωθουν οι μετωπες.

Κρητη, Φωτια, Παρθενωνας ( μια απιστευτη ιστορια στα Αμερικανικα Μηντια )Ενα Αρθρο και ενα Γραμμα με διαφορα...6 μηνων. Ενα πραγματικα απιστευτο συμβαν.Στις 20 Ιανουαριου 2010, η Γουολ Στριτ Τζουρναλ, δημοσιευει αρθρο με τιτλο "Η ΝΤΡΟΠΗ ΤΗΣ ΜΟΝΤΕΡΝΑΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ". Γραμμενο απο εναν Ανδρεα Αποστολου ( απο Νεα Υορκη ), αναφερεται στον εμπρησμο θρησκευτικου ιδρυματος, μιας συναγωγης, στην Κρητη. Το αρθρο προκαλει σαλο στην Ελλαδα και Ελληνο-Αμερικη. Ειχε ειπωθει οτι δεν ηταν Ελληνες απο Ελλαδα αλλα ελληνοαμερικανοι που βαλαν την φωτια στο ιδρυμα. Να το αρθρο :    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704320104575014571634292264.html( Στα σχολια του αρθρου μπορειτε να δειτε τον Αριστειδη Καρατζα, τον ιδιο Καρατζα που ο γνωστος Ρομπερτ Καπλαν ειχε παρει συνεντευξη για το "Βαλκανικα Φαντασματα" το βιβλιο/πανεπιστημιακο εγχειριδιο που εσφαζε την Ελλαδα στα 90ς).Ο ιδιος ο Υπουργος Προστασιας της Ελλαδας θυμαμαι ειχε απαντησει στο αρθρο Αποστολου.Στο αρθρο αναφερεται και ο διευθυντης του ιδρυματος. Τον λενε Σταβρουλακη. Αυτος ο ιδιος διευθυντης, ανακαλυπτω απο μνημης στο αρχειο μου οτι ειχε δημοσιευσει, εξι μηνες πιο πριν το πιο κατω Γραμμα στον Εντιτορ των Νιου Γιορκ Τα'ι'μς για ενα αρθρο του φιλλελληνα Κριστοφερ Χιτσενς για τα γλυπτα του Παρθενωνα. Ειναι πραγματικα απιστευτο...THE NEW YORK TIMES - Published: June 23, 2009LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; Lord Elgin, the Parthenon and GreeceRegarding the op-ed articles ''A home for the Marbles,'' by Christopher Hitchens, and ''Majestic in exile,'' by Nikos Konstandaras, (Views, June 19): The Parthenon remained intact until the 6th century, at which point the inner columns and roof were removed in order to make way for a Christian church. When the Ottomans took over in 1456, the building became a mosque. When the Ottomans were at war with the Venice, the Parthenon was used as to store munitions, and, in 1687, it was hit by a Venetian shell and blown up.By the time Lord Elgin arrived in 1801, the marble fragments were being used for building materials by the locals. The Ottomans allowed him to take casts and remove sculptures as well as tear down buildings where necessary.The Parthenon was restored to artistic and historical importance thanks to the splendid drawings of Western artists. I don't care who has the Elgin Marbles, but I do care that Lord Elgin is slandered as a robber and vandal. Had he not saved the marbles, they would most probably no longer exist. Christine Fremantle, London. ''Greece,'' even in antiquity, refers to a geographical area in which Greek was spoken, a common culture evolved and a shared religious pantheon existed, but it was never a unified state nor even a country. It was a complex and highly competitive collection of little states such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes etc.The modern Greek state (founded in the early 19th century) may see itself as the protector of the legacy of ancient Greece, and given the character of any form of nationalism, this makes a certain amount of sense.In the British Museum, the Elgin Marbles take a position among the great achievements of art and architecture of humanity -- be they Egyptian, Babylonian, etc. In a global age, museums such as the British Museum or the Metropolitan Musem in New York or the Louvre have a certain parallel to the great Alexandrian library that drew to itself the tangled threads of antique civilizations during the early period of Hellenistic ''globalization.''It would indeed be a pity to see the great Elgin Marbles reduced to being simply artifacts put on the shelf of Greek nationalism or a platform for political self furtherance or debased as part of tourist development program, which is really what all of this is about.Nicholas P. Stavroulakis, Hania, Crete.Εδω επισης να τονισω οτι ο Αποστολου που ηδη εχει γραψει βιβλιο για το δευτερο παγκοσμιο πολεμο στην Ελλαδα, τον Καραμανλη, τους Ναζι και τους Εβραιους, ανηκει στον νεοσυντηρητικο οργανισμο "Foundation for the Defence of Democracies" και τον απαισιο Michael Ledeen, που βρισκεται πισω και απο τον πολεμο της Μεσοποταμιας και απο την επικειμενη συρραξη στην Περσια. Τα λογια περιττευουν.