A small, symbolic exhibition adds new elements to the argument for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of Lord Byron, the Acropolis Museum honors his memory and organizes the exhibition “The Parthenon and Byron” in its ground floor foyer.
Byron’s original passport, a surprising, real official sultanic document, exhibited for the first time in the Acropolis Museum, becomes the occasion to refer to the “firman” of Elgin, which – supposedly – allowed him to remove the Parthenon Sculptures. Yesterday morning, the first groups of tourists from every corner of the world had the opportunity to tour the original exhibition, where the extremely interesting aspect of the typology of a regular Sultanate firman is clearly and comprehensibly presented, which seems to strengthen the case for the return of the Sculptures of Parthenon in their native land. In the exhibition, which officially opens today, we see, among others, both Elgin’s firman-passport and Byron’s firman-passport of 1810.
“Lord Byron contributes to Greece’s struggle for the reunification of the Sculptors”, said yesterday, to “ET”, the American Cason, immediately following his short tour of the new exhibition, which tells a combined image of the Acropolis and the Parthenon before Lord Byron and the looting of the monument by Elgin to the establishment of the modern Greek state and the establishment of the Acropolis archaeological site in 1834.
The exhibition presents the actual Sultan’s firman that allowed Byron to travel to the territories of the Ottoman Empire, offering another opportunity to discuss and refute the argument of the alleged existence of Elgin’s “firman”, which – supposedly – allowed him to remove the Parthenon Sculptures . As described, sultanic firmans bear a specific typology. Specifically the tuğra (calligraphic emblem-monogram of the sultan, high, at the beginning of each firman), then follows the inscriptio (the address to the recipients) with wishes and then comes the salutatio (the greeting to the officials) once more with wishes. This is followed by the narratio (the narrative), i.e. the content of the report of the case for which the firman was drawn up, and finally the corroboratio and the sanctio (the confirmation and validation of the order). The firman closes with the date and place it was drawn up.
By a simple comparison of the documents with Elgin’s document in the Italian language – and its corresponding English translation, i.e. the so-called “firman”, for those who claim that there was an official sultanic firman by which permission was supposedly given for the detachment and removal from the Parthenon of the sculpture of the decoration – one can see that it has no relation to official sultanic firmans… They are not followed in the Italian document – and consequently in its English translation presented to the British Parliament in 1816, during the debate on the market of the Sculptures- the series and typical of a normal sultanic firman. The original document in the Turkish language and in Arabic script has not been found to date. Still, even if there had been, this was a document from the Deputy Vizier, who had no right to give permission to detach and remove marbles, when, as we know, the marbles belonged to the property of the Sultan, and no one but himself might issue a document-firman of their secondment.
Acropolis Museum: Visitors demand the return of the Sculptures
Visitors to the Museum also have the opportunity to admire the “Exodus of Messolonghi” (1827), which inspired many painters, such as the French signator Louis Joseph Toussaint Rossignon.
Also of particular interest are the biographical note and excerpts from Byron’s poems, “The Curse of Athena” and “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,” which refer to Elgin’s barbaric removal and destruction of the Parthenon’s architectural sculptures, as well as their sneaky grab and removal followingwards. “The Parthenon Sculptures must return here, to their country,” the 68-year-old American visitor also emphasizes during our brief conversation and declares himself excited by the permanent “excellent exhibition of the Acropolis Museum.”
(Info)
- Acropolis Museum
- No ticket is required to enter the ground floor foyer of the Museum.
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