'Renewed controversy over the Parthenon marbles: An analysis of the private collection of the 11th Earl of Elgin.'

The Scottish newspaper The National

reports that an estate has become the subject of questions regarding several ancient marble artifacts that were stolen by Greek aristocrat Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin, and are in the private collection of his descendant, 99-year-old Andrew Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin. Formerly known as the Elgin Marble Fragments, named after the Earl of Elgin, they have now been renamed the Parthenon Marbles and have become the subject of a cultural dispute between Britain and Greece.

According to information from Fredericainfoupdates

's blog.

In Bruce's private collection at Broomhall Manor in Fife is a sarcophagus described as 'one of the very few examples of Attic''a sarcophagus from Athens with an inscription' which is 'not found in modern compilations of ancient sarcophagi'. Michael Russell, a Scottish National Party (SNP) member and former education minister who recently visited the Broomhall estate, pointed to 'things that have been stolen and built into the walls'. He said that "this Greek sculpture in the entrance hall is part of the decor". Russell said there should be a discussion about the sarcophagus at Broomhall Manor, but added that he was "not criticizing the Earl personally." He also said that "storing valuable objects of civilization and history elsewhere is unacceptable. "

Bruce invited experts from the University of Manchester to study the artifacts in 2019.

They reported that Broomhall is home to a small but''a diverse collection of antiquities, including Greek inscriptions, unnamed Greek sculptures and architectural fragments.' They noted that one 1816 image showing Elgin's collection in the Duke of Devonshire's room at Burlington House shows a sarcophagus 'next to parts of the Parthenon frieze'. It is unclear why this item was not included in the sale to the British Museum.

The sculptures stolen by Elgin from the Parthenon, built in the 5th century BC, were sold to the British Museum in 1816. The Greeks have been asking for them to be returned to Greece since their independence in the 1820s, but since the 1980s this has been a thorny issue between Greece and Britain. Some agreement has recently been reached, with the former Conservative Chancellor Excelsior and head of''The British Museum, George Osborne, even talked about "sharing" Greek treasures with Athens.

Last week, however, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took the unpredictable action of canceling a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the Parthenon Marbles.

Mitsotakis was in London to meet with Sunak, but after he raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures with the BBC, the British PM canceled the meeting. The opposition Labor leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said, "Forget the British Museum; it's obvious the Prime Minister has lost his brains." Scottish National Party leader Stephen Flynn said: "This should not be subject to negotiation. The Elgin marbles have been stolen and''should be returned. Simple.".

When asked about plans to repatriate the marble artifacts to Greece

A spokesperson for Broomhall Manor said, "The Bruce family, like many other museums and collections, has historically significant artifacts and archival materials that are regularly available for academic study by scholars and researchers. "