should sculptures remain in London or be returned to Athens, history homework help

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The Greek government has requested the return of the sculptures to Athens, while the British Museum claims that they belong in London. Our discussion will consider arguments put forth by each side, as well as the larger question of who has a rightful claim to ownership of ancient artifacts and monuments.

To prepare for our discussion, please do the following:

1) Read the sources listed below.

2) Form an opinion about whether the sculptures should remain in London or be returned to Athens, and write a two-page paper in support of your position. Papers should be typed and double-spaced and should cite the four (required) sources listed below. Your treatment of sources should abide by the University guidelines for academic honesty. Please note that although this is an opinion paper, it should still follow the conventions of academic writing. Papers that are overly informal or poorly written will be penalized. Your paper needs to have a cover page, 1” margins, and overall properly formatted.

Required Readings for this Assignment:

1) J. Neils. 2001. The Parthenon Frieze, Cambridge, pp. 238-248 (Ch. 8: “Thauma: Whose Heritage?”). [download file on website]



2) J. Cuno. 2008. Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle over our Ancient Heritage, Princeton, pp. ix-xxxvii (“Preface”). [download file on website]



3) Statements by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture on the controversy:



http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea121.html

http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea125.html

http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea126.html

http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/files/memorandum.pdf

**Please focus on the sites listed above, although you may also want to explore the other pages linked to the Ministry of Culture’s main site on the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles 
(http://odysseus.culture.gr/a/1/12/ea120.html).



4) Statements by the British Museum on the controversy:

http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/statements/parthenon_sculptures.aspx

http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/statements/parthenon_sculptures/facts_and_figures.aspx

http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/statements/parthenon_sculptures/statement.aspx