Cyprus-Forum.com

[Gasman]

Ooo! I am reading a BBC debate about the subject now. And have discovered an interesting fact:

Even if Elgin 'bought' the Marbles from the Sultan, it really doesn't mean much, because the sultan wasn't really selling away his own heritage - I wonder how he would have reacted if Elgin had asked for the minaret from a major mosque or the carvings in his palace.
It is a historical fact that during the Greek war of independence, the Greek forces had besieged Ottoman-held Athens and after some time the Ottoman forces faced a shortage of lead for their pistols. It was decided that they should break up the pillars of Acropolis to get the metallic rods that run through their middle (supporting them), to meld and make bullets.
When the general on the Greek side learnt of that he ordered a large amount of bullets to be sent over to the enemy, in order to prevent that atrocity. Do you think that the Greeks would have sold the Marbles if they were rulers of their own state?
Fredrik, Sweden

[Gasman]

And I don't think they should be called the 'Elgin' marbles. He didn't create them, nor did he pay for them (apparently). He purloined them for his own house and then sold them to the Museum when he got hard up.

The Parthenon Marbles would seem to me to be the only correct name for them.

[georgios100]

Lord Elgin is a common thief... wanted the marbles to decorate his back yard... run out of money... sold them for a plate of beans... museum officials got them... to protect them...

Are you kidding me?

The Greeks should up the ante... start calling the Brits looters and thieves to get the job done. The marbles must be returned, we don't need "British care and cleaning" of our own treasures.

I agree, other countries would follow Greece's example if the marbles are returned. I would go a step further and form a coalition of countries whose treasures were stolen and file claims in the court of Hague, forcing Britain to attend and explain why the loot is still languishing in British museums.

[Get Real!]

As Cypriots we should be worrying about getting stolen Cypriot artifacts back from the British Museum and let the Greeks worry about theirs!

[Gasman]

Well said GR. 'Cypriotness' and Cypriot pride do not seem to rank very high with some. However their perceived connections with Greece and all things Greek does. To the extent that they insist Cyprus is a Greek Island. If it were of course, it wouldn't have had to apply to join the EU in its own right. It would automatically have been included when GREECE joined.

[georgios100]

Well said GR. 'Cypriotness' and Cypriot pride do not seem to rank very high with some. However their perceived connections with Greece and all things Greek does. To the extent that they insist Cyprus is a Greek Island. If it were of course, it wouldn't have had to apply to join the EU in its own right. It would automatically have been included when GREECE joined.

The Greek roots of Cyprus should not be forgotten. There are Greek monuments and temples in Cyprus, dating as far back as Acropolis and beyond. It's not "luck" that we speak Greek or that Cyprus is the only country outside of Greece having the Greek language in schools...

The fact that I am a Greek Cypriot does not mean I stop being Cypriot.
If some Cypriots don't "like" Greeks for one reason or another, well, they should keep it for themselves. Simply, not all of us share the same feelings and rightfully so.

If Cypriot ancient artifacts were stolen, I would expect Greece to back our claims for recovery and vise-versa. Therefor, it is our business, as Cypriots to support Greece in it's cause since our roots are, indeed, Greek.

I do mention, the British Museum contains loot from various countries, not just Greece, an injustice which should be addressed regardless if Cyprus is missing artifacts or not.

Don't be troubled by the word "loot". It's the only word that fits perfectly when dealing with the Parthenon marbles currently displayed at the British museum.

[Get Real!]

The Greek roots of Cyprus should not be forgotten. There are Greek monuments and temples in Cyprus, dating as far back as Acropolis and beyond. It's not "luck" that we speak Greek or that Cyprus is the only country outside of Greece having the Greek language in schools...

Here's what I think of the "Greek" roots of Cyprus...

[georgios100]

The Greek roots of Cyprus should not be forgotten. There are Greek monuments and temples in Cyprus, dating as far back as Acropolis and beyond. It's not "luck" that we speak Greek or that Cyprus is the only country outside of Greece having the Greek language in schools...

Here's what I think of the "Greek" roots of Cyprus...

[Get Real!]

It's not "luck" that we speak Greek or that Cyprus is the only country outside of Greece having the Greek language in schools...

Btw, who says Cypriots speak Greek?

http://www.ancientscripts.com/cypriot.html

https://www.latrobe.edu.au/linguistics/ ... siliou.pdf

http://idiom.ucsd.edu/~arvaniti/Arvaniti.MedLR.pdf

[SpartanGamer]

It's not "luck" that we speak Greek or that Cyprus is the only country outside of Greece having the Greek language in schools...

Btw, who says Cypriots speak Greek?

http://www.ancientscripts.com/cypriot.html

https://www.latrobe.edu.au/linguistics/ ... siliou.pdf

http://idiom.ucsd.edu/~arvaniti/Arvaniti.MedLR.pdf

ahem... most of them speak Polish and Sri Lankan now... big shiny man bless cheap labour