Lord Elgin bought the Elgin marbles from the owners at that time. If he hadn’t they have been destroyed by now. The belong to the British.
That is utter nonsense.
HE DID NOT.
He bribed and illegally obtained the items.
HE HAD NO DOCUMENTS OR ANYTHING.
The furma only appeared TWO WEEKS after parlament rejected the purchase. It was an english translation of an itallian translation of a lost turkish document recreated from memory. not a joke.
They were 100% taken without authority from the Sultan.
Who ordered, btw no antiquities taken from his lands. In response to the wide spread grave robbing in egypt and across the mediteranian.
The british btw, SCRAPED OFF ALL THE PAINT on the sculptures. They were all painted. In addition the british actually BLEACHED with acid the marbles in order that they match the gift shop copies.
ON TOP OF ALL THIS, Mr. Duveen used to make copies off the originals. The impressons doing their own damage as the negative was removed. This was to sell copies to his aristocratic friends. In order to avoid criminal charges for selling fakes as originals, duveen donated the museum.
Sorry there are wayy too many law review and journalist entries that contradict that myth. The only schollars who buy that cool aid that the british took care fo the marbles are the british museum snobs.