Defining historical artefacts are being housed in countries that should return them, writes Soshi Park for Fodor

"Despite the certainty of Greek authorities that the Parthenon Marbles (previously called the Elgin Marbles after the diplomat who shipped them to England in 1812) were taken from Athens illegally, London’s British Museum is unimpressed by the claim. While they are willing to consider loaning some of the marbles back to Athens, the museum’s trustees have publicly stated that their primary objective is to keep them accessible to world audiences. It’s a perspective rooted in colonialism, one that suggests that Athens is an inferior global tourist destination to London. But the British Museum is firm in its convictions. Since the marbles can’t be returned to the Parthenon itself—any sculptures there today are replicas while the originals are housed in the Acropolis Museum—they believe that the ideal place for them is the one in which they can best be understood for their universal value to all humanity, not just to the descendants of those who carved them." Writes Shoshi Park in Fodor's Travel.

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