A letter from Cambridge

A documentary from the journalist Bruce Clark about the Parthenon Marbles

“What about the British classicists of our times? Do they study the Athenian past in a spirit of acquisition and ambition or of friendship and respect? I am glad to say that when I last went back to my old place of learning, things seemed to have changed for the better…”

The observation comes from the journalist Bruce Clark, and it offers a first response to the question which is posed in a short documentary, “From Cambridge with Love: A Call to Mend the Parthenon’s Broken Treasures” which Kathimerini has seen.

However the author and former international security editor of the Economist, who is a Cambridge graduate himself, does not return to his alma materwith the sole purpose of finding out whether old-fashioned mentalities have been set aside.

“Public opinion in the United Kingdom is in favour of reunifying the marbles,” Clark told Kathimerini, “but it is not completely well informed about what exactly the sculptures are, or about the role they played in the civilization of ancient Athens – or about the fact they constitute a single work of art. The idea of the documentary was to inform the public more deeply about the sculptures, about the mysteries they contain and the unresolved scholarly debates they have stimulated – as a way of promoting their eventual reunification.”

The British classicists – and members of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles - whom Clark meets in the film are Paul Cartledge, an emeritus professor of Cambridge University and Edith Hall, a professor of ancient Greek literature at Durham University.

As Clark – who is also a member of the BCRPM – says in the documentary, “[both] helped me to understand one overwhelming fact – all the brilliant cultural products of fifth century Athens reflect the wave of democratic energy which cascaded through the city – that tiny, talented place – after its victory against the huge Persian empire…”

The film alludes to the democratic way in which the construction of the Parthenon was overseen – and also to the frieze which represents the whole population of the city. The “mystery” which stirs debate around the frieze concerns the so-called peplos scene - which might, according to some scholars, show Erechtheus, the first king of Athens, handing over a death-shroud to his daughter, foreshadowing her self-sacrifice for the good off the city.

“It is an unresolved scholarly question,” Clark tells Kathimerini – “just like the question of whether the frieze depicts the Panathenaic procession as it happened at that time, or some idealized notion of the procession in the past.”

The majority of the frieze is, of course, in the British Museum.“The presentation of the frieze is particularly damaging,”   Paul Cartledge explains in the film, “because the designers of that [BM] gallery try to pretend that they have the whole of the frieze when in fact they don’t…” Edith Hall puts it this way: “You might say it’s like trying to read a comic with the pictures in a random order.” 

And the British sculptor Helaine Blumenfeld, who also appears in the documentary, adds that “the most tragic thing for a sculptor is to create a work for a particular place and then find that it’s going to be moved…”

“From Cambridge with Love” – jointly created by Clark and producer Leonidas Liambeys – will make its first appearance in the Ninth “Beyond Borders” Documentary Festival in Kastellorizo. The main conclusion could be summed up in a remark made by Clark to Kathimerini: “It doesn’t require a brilliant brain to see that if there is one single place where the sculptures should be, it is the Acropolis Museum.”

Does Clark have hope that the advent of a new government will make things easier? “The very fact that there is a new government is a sign of hope,” he responds. “We understand that the Labour government will not stand in the way of any deal made by the British Museum – however they do not plan to change the law.  They are at least giving the Museum some room for manoeuvre. I think, though, that some legislative amendment will be needed.”

From Cambridge With Love will be shown at the International Documentary Festival in Kastellorizo on 26 August at 8.30 pm.

Article written by Nikolas Zois for Kathimerini and published on 14 August 2024

The ultra-endurance cycling challenge "London-Athens on 2 wheels - Bring them back" in its second year, began at 5 am on Saturday 05 August, outside the British Museum gates. 

Cycling heroes: Vasiliki Voutzali (Greece), Steffen Streich (Germany & Greece), Christopher Ross Bennett (New Zealand), Paul Alderson (UK), and Dionisis Kartsambas (Greece), set off to cycle 3,500 kms to reach the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Catch up on their daily challenges, the highs and lows by visiting their facebook page .

Before leaving, the BCRPM's Christopher Stockdale, Marlen and Tony Godwin, met with the cyclists in Room 18. Christopher presented a copy of his book 'Simming with Hero' to Vasiliki. 

In Room 18 meeting Christopher Stockdale, the first person to cycle from the British Museum to the Acropolis Museum in 2005. 

Fans in each corner of Room 18, trying to circulate the warm air. 

A flag that has been used in Room 18 sine the opening of the Acropolis Museum in 2005, shows the tip floor Parthenon Gallery of the Acropolis Museum , where the surviving halves of the sculptures not removed by Lord Elgin are displayed the right way round and with views to the Parthenon.

Vasiliki with a little help adds a few stickers outside the BM.

August, 05 at 5 am outside the British Museum gates, five cyclists begin a journey , an endurance journey in the hope that their efforts will add more pressure to the British Museum to reunite the Parthenon Marbles. The cyclists: Vasilki Voutzali (Greece), Steffen Streich (Germany & Greece), Christopher Ross Bennett (New Zealand), Paul Alderson (UK), and Dionisis Kartsambas (Greece) are making history too.

Christopher Stockdale, a retired GP from Solihull, and member of BCRPM swam for the marbles (2000 from Delos to Paros) and cycled in 2005. He admits cyclist was out of his comfort zone but the campaign for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles is very much in Christopher's heart, although he was devastated not to be able to join the cyclists on this day.

This year the cyclists selected a number of segments along the route, stopping in Lille, France on their first night as the UK weather was a heady mixture of strong winds and heavy rains. Their first stop on day 2 was their intended first segment stop, Mons in Belgium.

Steffen and Vasiliki in Mons and.... at the Melina Mercouri St.

As Paul heads back to UK, Christopher carries on with Vasiliki, Steffen and Dionisis to Germany

Fom Belgium to Munich in Germany, and to Budapest in Hungary, segments 2 & 3

Bici Bavarese | Vintage & Moderne Rennräder in München

A warm welcome in Budapest!

From Hungary to Serbia and North Macedonia, arriving in Kastoria and Trikala.

Athens, today 17 August,  just 12 days from that cold, wet and windy 5th of August outside the British Museum. Christopher's time was 12 days, 3 hours and 18  minutes. We await the arrival of Dionisis tomorrow with a welcome from the Melina Mercouri Foundation, and a visit to the Acropolis Museum. 

The new director of the British Museum, Dr Nicholas Cullinan in an interview with Richard Morrison for the Culture section of the Sunday Times, 15 September 2024.

“I’m going to lead the biggest transformation of any museum in the world,” Nicholas Cullinan declares. “Physically, our masterplan is a huge project. But intellectually, too, it’s an enormous challenge. Yes, fixing the roof is urgent. But if you’re going to address those physical problems you should also do something really exciting with the collections and the way we present them to the public.”

Music to our ears, as we have looked to the BM to embrace the 21st century and the continued call for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

Read the full article by Richard Morrison.

Post the 2,000 thefts, then the controversial 50 million pound donation from BP earmarked for the BM's masterplan with the transformation of the building and the campaign for reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, now in it's 41st year, is Nicholas Cullinan leading the way to a brave new era at the BM? 

The decision to digitise the whole BM collection, all eight million items means, in the future, if an item is stolen and offered for sale, it will be easy to check it against the BM’s database. “But it also gives us an opportunity to create an incredible website that could reach well beyond the museum’s walls,” adds Nicholas Cullinan.

Last month five architectural teams were shortlisted to work on rethinking the galleries that include the rooms housing the Parthenon Sculptures, Rosetta Stone and mummies. 

“It’s really a giant restoration project. The western range is largely the original Robert Smirke building from the 19th century, with its beautiful galleries. But they can be made even more beautiful. And at the same time we have to rethink how we navigate visitors round and best display and interpret the collection.” Continues Cullinan in the Sunday Times as he also points out that the 1963 British Museum Act stops the museum from deaccessioning anything in its collection, even if it wanted to. “The more interesting aspect to think about now is how we can work in partnership with other museums round the world to lend or exchange items,” he says.

The Sunday Times asks whether “a friendly lending agreement [would] end the seemingly eternal squabble over the Elgin [Parthenon] Marbles?” Cullinan responds: “This is not me trying to dodge the question but that issue is not within my purview. It depends on other parties…The more interesting aspect to think about now is how we can work in partnership with other museums round the world to lend or exchange items.”