Culturally and spiritually the marbles belong in Athens. Whilst the British Museum should be mostly applauded for their efforts of preservation (and they have certainly enjoyed near 200 years of revenue off them), it is now time to do the right thing. The new museum in Athens is just superb.

Duncan, Athens, Greece

I spent most of the summer in 1970 in the UK through an international student exchange program; that was my first trip outside of Greece. I felt at home in London, have been back several times and always looked forward to more visits there. However, I will never visit the British Museum again; the reason is obvious. For the same reason I will never visit again the Louvre , or the Agia Sofia , or the Pergamon Museum, although I would gladly go back to Paris, Istanbul and Berlin. There are many injustices around us and I have learned to live with reality. May I remind all that, as the ancient Greeks said, there is always ‘some good in anything bad’! For example, the presence of the ‘Parthenon marbles in the British Museum’, or, of the ‘Niki of Samothraki in the Louvre’, or, the conversion of the Agia Sofia to a Turkish Bazaar, or, the reconstruction and display of an entire temple in a Berlin Museum, are useful as HUGE MONUMENTS OF HYPOCRICY, and should stay there as such, to remind us and warn us of the evil forces around us.

Dr. Tom Papadopoulos, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Personally I think it's embaressing noone here in blighty has the guts to say "we have to give these back".

For the love of God they are part of the Parthenon!!!! We HAVE to give those marbles back!!!

Alex, London,

I am still trying to find something FROM the island of Britain inside the BRITISH Museum. How about renaming that Museum to "400 years of imperial theft and pilferage"?

Tom, Berlin, Germany

Can we have London Bridge back from the Yanks, then???

David, Grantham, UK

The British Museum should reflect on its supposed expertise to realise the importance of the Parthenon Marbles for Greeks. If they do not follow the example of other countries that are returning the marbles Greece should NOT give the Olympic flame for the London 2012.

Andreas Andreou, Cyprus,

If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were.

Alexandros, Larisa , Greece

The marbles should of course stay in Britain. Every nation has treasures from other cultures in their museums. So what, will we all start exchanging? And it's sad to see some people taking this opportunity to badmouth muslim contribution (or not) to arts, it's pathetic. Those people should grow up!

James Black, London, UK

And if this sets a precedence, good. Let it be a precedence for finally, doing the right thing.

Dave S, Solihull, UK

IT'S TIME FOR BRITTISH FRIENDS TO GIVE THEM BACK TO GREECE.
THE FRENCH WILL FOLLOW........

Francis, PARIS, FRANCE

1) The Parthenon marbles were not taken BUT they were STOLEN from Elgin! Thiefs should be prosecuted and a goverment that supports thiefs is to me equally guilty and should go to court.
2) If all ancient treasures exposed in the british museum would be returned back, the latter would get half-empty

Dr. Emmanouil Fokas, Voula, Athens, Greece

Should the Elgin marbles be returned, all other items should be returned to host countries as well. Why should Greece have any preference over others? More importantly, should we revisit the way in which museums operate.

Farrukh, Woking,

The argument that the British Museum was custodian of ancient artefacts during times of civil strife has no relevance to any claim to still hold on to these treasures. There can be no moral justification to now not return the Elgin marbles to the people of Greece.

Dave S, Solihull, UK

The marbles were stolen from Parthenon and sold to the British
Museum, that is a fact! Should'nt they be given back to whom
they belong, now that finally there is a beautiful museum
right at the foot of the Acropolis that can display them just
as nicely as in the British Museum?

M. Milionis Athens

Mary Milionis, Athens, Greece

For someone fortunate enought to have gazed at the beauty
of theParthenon, C. Hitchens NYT Op-Ed expressed it best. "It is impossible to visit Athens and not yearn for the day when Britain decides to right an ancient wrong and show that a beautiful artefact is more than the mere sum of its parts.

George, Glastonbury, CT, USA

It is imperative that Britain return the "Elgin" marbles to Greece

Michelle Matarrese, Soquel Ca, U.S.A

The argument from the British that Athens has no suitable museum to display the marbles is no longer valid as the New Acropolis Museum which is due to open the doors to the world on Sat20June09 date of official opening, a state of the Art
with ultra modern technique with special area kept for them.

Milton, Athens, Greece

There is no excuse left.The marbles MUST be returned to Greece.They are simply a huge part of our civilisation and we have the right to keep them in our country.Now,with the new state-of-the art museum i believe that this is the most appropriate place to admire them.WE DO WANT THE MARBLES BACK!!!

vANESSA, ATHENES, GREECE

Sotiris,

Clearly you've never seen the Taj Mahal. It was constructed by Muslims under the Mughal empire. Do your research, and you'll find many more examples in Spain and Sicily as well. Alhambra for example was constructed by Muslims.

Nick, Santa Cruz,

Dear Farrukh,
you are right,it should be mentioned that during 1460-1833 the Parthenon was a mosque, as a proof that our muslim neighbors have arrived for 1st time to the Mediterranean at that time (around 1450) but also to prove their incapability in arts such architecture. (see also Agia Sofia).

Sotiris, Nafplio, Greece

The Marbles should be repatriated because this is where they belong.There are no more issues blocking their transfer to Athens.I don't think the purchase was legitimate, considering how the Ottomans got hold of it in the first place.Is the design worthy?Greece built this museum for this very reason!

Theodosios Lazopoulos, Southampton, UK

I too, visited the new museum in Athens last year and had a preview of this amazing space.

I would agree with others that state that now is the time to repatriate the Elgin Marbles back to Athens... they now have the facilities and the space to accommodate what is rightfully, culturally, theirs.

Jill, Edinburgh, UK

The question is not so much the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, as whether the design of the the New Acropolis Museum Building , intended to house them should they be returned, as : is the museum design design worthy of them ?

Pericles, Pheidias, Ictinus and Callikrates might not agree.

Dr Peter Hancock, Maseru, Lesotho

Send them back. It's absurd to have such beautiful artifacts separated from their original site. What a pity they cannot be treated against pollution and put back up. That would be something!

Charles Bockett-Pugh, Sandhurst,

I have been to the museum this August just past and had a brief wander around. It certainly is a fantastic building and the glass floors over the excavations are really something. I hope we can give back the marbles as this would really be the perfect place to display them.

Tim, London, UK

Farrukh, if so it was only a mosque to the occupiers, not to the Greek people. And it's not necessarily something to be proud of

Chris, Preston, UK

I hope one day the marbles will return to their home and to have a united monument.In return the Greek Goverment may send something equally important to the British Museum so that all sides to be happy.

Haris, Athens, Greece

The Turks and the Brits together with the Germans pilfered many ancient artifacts from Greece which should be returned - most of the Turkish tourist trade is built around ancient Greek culture and ruins. Hopefully Aghia Sofia will once again become the most important church in christendom.

warren, London, England

"Or whether the museum will gloss over 400 years..."? What a laugh!
A mosque was not part of the original design - to have one added now for the sake of representing part of it's history may appeal to some but it's not exactly sensible. The original comment was from educated USA! - 'nuff said!

Christian H, Warwickshire, UK

muslim ottomans tried their "best" to leave their marks on Parthenon, no need for the museum to expose the "400 years". I haven't seen any french flags on the London Tower though, just as courtesy.

George, London, UK

I wonder if it will mention some forgotten history: "We tend to lose sight of the fact that for nearly four hundred years (ca. A.D. 1460–1833) the Parthenon was a mosque.." [Jenifer Neils, The Parthenon: From Antiquity to the Present]. Or whether the museum will gloss over 400 years...

Farrukh, Woking,

It is quite frankly embarrassing that the Parthenon sculptures are still in the British Museum. They should now be sent back immediately. I do not support the repatriation of every foreign artefact, but these are of massive cultural importance to the people of Greece and should be returned.

Tom, Oxford, UK

Most of the Elgin Marbles are in the vault, and not in condition for display. So sending them back would be OK but who pays for taking them back? Who would insure that ship?

Sue Doughty, Twyford, UK

The Elgin Marbles were purchased by Lord Elgin from the Ottoman ruler of the time.
That makes the purchase as legitimate as if I had bought a Rubens from Hermann Goering.

Bill Smith, Brisbane, Australia