elgin marbles

English - English

Definition of elgin marbles in English English dictionary: a set of ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens, which were brought to Britain by the Earl of Elgin in 1803, and are kept in the British Museum in London. Collection of ancient Greek marble sculptures and architectural fragments in the British Museum. They were removed from the Parthenon in Athens and other buildings by Thomas Bruce, Lord Elgin (1766-1841), ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and shipped to England between 1802 and 1811. Elgin claimed he was saving the works from destruction by the Turks, who then controlled Greece. He secured permission from the Turks to remove "any pieces of stone" bearing figures or inscriptions. They remained in his private possession, amid mounting criticism, until 1816, when the crown bought them. The controversy still continues; the Greek government frequently demands their return; They were obtained at Athens, about 1811, by Lord Elgin; a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures and fragments of architecture created by Phidias; chiefly from the Parthenon in Athens; Greek sculptures in the British Museum