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The Elgin Marbles

These marble reliefs were taken from the Parthenon in 1806. They are a portion of the Panathenaic Celebration which is illustrated all the way around the building in a frieze. When the entire original collection is laid out flat they cover almost one kilometer.

The marbles were taken from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin and sent to England during the Ottoman occupation of Greece. They were cut into pieces for portability and loaded onto a ship for transport. The ship sank while in transit and the pieces had to be brought to the surface at Lord Elgin's expense. It took years before all the marbles finally made it to the museum.

Despite this the British Museum was able to keep the marbles in better condition than that had they stayed in the Parthenon, until an incident in the 1930s. At that time, employees of the museum attempted to restore the marbles to their original color, which they wrongly assumed to be bright white. The damage done was significant and irreversible.

Portions of the marbles are still on display at the British Museum and in museums around the world.

This Elgin Marble Mini Parthenon Set comes with three pieces. Each part of the Panathenaic Frieze has different imagery: men and women in procession with bulls and cows; six men on horseback; one male standing figure and two horsemen. Each piece measures approximately 8 1/2" Wide, 2" High, 3/8" Deep, is made from resin with an antiqued appearance, suitable for indoor or outdoor use, includes an attached picture hook for hanging.

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Related Categories: Relief - Small , Parthenon , Greco-Roman , NEW ITEMS