The British Museum recently announced that gold looted by the British in the 19th century will be returned on a three-year deal to Ghana, after having not been seen in the country in over 150 years. With the controversy over the Elgin Marbles (a.k.a. The Parthenon Marbles) leading to Rishi Sunak cancelling a meeting with the Greek Prime Minster Kyriakos Mitsotakis in November 2023, the question of repatriation of looted artefacts has once again raised its profile in British politics. So, what do the British currently hold (most of it on display in the British Museum) that in a post-colonial world, arguably deserves to be displayed in their origin country?
- The Elgin Marbles
Removed by the Earl of Elgin from Ottoman Greece in 1801, the Parthenon/ Elgin Marbles comprise half of the surviving sculptural decoration remaining from the Parthenon and Acropolis of Athens. Elgin’s claims to legal acquisition of the marbles rest on the fact that a firman (a royal mandate or decree) was obtained and approved by the Governor of Athens and Commander of the Acropolis citadel. No such firman has ever been recorded or found within Ottoman / Turkish archives to support this claim. In 1983, the Greek government issued a formal request for the return of the Marbles, which the British Museum has denied having ever received. Since then, there have been repeated calls for the return of the Marbles to the Athens Museum to complete the other half of the surviving set. Following Rishi Sunak’s cancellation of a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister due to fears that talks would become ‘dominated’ by the issue, with Mitsotakis likening to ‘the Mona Lisa being cut in half’. King Charles caused headlines by wearing a tie bearing the Greek flag mere days later at the COP28 summit, a rare display of political solidarity from the supposedly apolitical monarch, lending his support to Greek calls for repatriation.
- The Benin Bronzes
The Benin Bronzes form a collection of several thousand bronzes and plaques that decorated the royal palace of modern-day Edo State, Nigeria. During the Benin Expedition of 1897, the Bronzes were seized during the sacking of Benin City, as part of a larger objective to solidify European interests in Africa for British economic benefit. Two hundred pieces were sent to the British Museum, following the Expedition, where they have been displayed for over 125 years, whilst fewer than fifty surviving pieces remain in Nigeria today. The return of the bronzes has widely been considered emblematic of the repatriation of the African continent. The example of Germany to return “looted” Benin bronzes by 2022 from all public collections stands in sharp contrast to the British Museum, that continues to resolutely refuse the return of its Bronzes.
- The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
The most expensive diamond in the world due to its brilliance and uniqueness is currently set in the Crown Jewels, owned by the current British monarch Charles III. The diamond was first verified as being looted from Delhi, India, in the 1740s, until it was gifted to Queen Victoria following the British East India Company’s annexation of the Punjab in 1849. The governments of India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as the Taliban have all claimed ownership ever since Indian independence from the British in 1947. Despite suggestions of possible compromises, the British Government has stated, since the end of the British Raj, that the status of the diamond is “non-negotiable”. However, the legend behind the Koh-I-Noor states that “he who owns the diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God or Woman can wear it with impunity”.
There are many more artefacts and properties of global history that the British empire acquired over successive centuries of imperialism that deserve to return to their rightful origins. Recent scandals such as the thefts of the British Museum where approximately 2,000 catalogue items were stolen by employees, only add greater strength to claims for repatriation of valuable historical pieces.
Written By: Bella Greenstock
Edited By: Aimee Missen