It's All Greek to Me

One thing that makes the British Museum extraordinary is the unique items from Greece. There are busts of the great Julius Caesar (right) as well as Marcus Aurlius and Commodus (left; who you may remember from the movie Gladiator).


There has been a large controversy over the museum's collection from Greece's Parthenon, which was built for the Greek goddess Athena in the 5th century BC on the Acropolis of Athens.

The marbles were removed by Earl of Elgin, who conquered the land. The Greek government has been fighting to have the items returned since 1983 but have been unsuccessful, but continue today. Above is an entire temple that was brought to England intact.

Click on the bottom right photo to enlarge. You will see statues that lined the top of the Parthenon. A replica can be seen on the first British Museum blog entry with my mom on the outside of the museum.