March 10

I woke up extra early this morning so that I could have enough time to shower, read, and make some oatmeal. All the staff knows me as the girl who really likes to cook – I have cooked every meal so far. Also, the mornings give me a little time to be by myself and get out of our teeny, tiny room.
We left the hostel at 8:30 and trekked up to the Acropolis. It was a beautiful day today, but the wind on the Acropolis was very strong. I get the whole fortification necessity for ancient towns, but it seems like every time we go up to cities that are on the acropolis, the wind is brutal. Perhaps the weather has changed over the past few thousand years, but if it is anything like what we experienced today, it seems like outdoor life would be a little difficult.
The acropolis was very cool, especially the Parthenon. This massive building is actually smaller than some of those we’ve seen in Turkey, but the perfection of the proportions makes it seem much larger. Everything looks like it meets at perfect right angels, but Dr. Krentz says there is not a single straight line in the entire structure. None of the columns are perfectly straight, swelling out in the middle and tapering off at the tops. The steps aren’t perfectly flat either. Lengthwise, the bugle upwards is so significant that if you were to place a ball cap at one end of the step and then walk to the other end, you wouldn’t be able to see it. The measurements and proportions throughout the structure are so perfect that these subtle variations must have been planned and not just the result of mistakes. The most widely accepted theory for these variations is to counter optical illusions, but this theory doesn’t explain why the column spacing is not uniform. There are slight variation here as well, but the difference between the smallest gap and the widest gap is only 2 inches. Some believe that the structure’s slight variation provide a dynamic environment that appeals to our subconscious. Our eye’s inability to perceive perfect uniformity is the appealing part. It captures our gaze and keeps us searching for the perfect harmony, therefore creating a fascinating space. This argument seems a little far-fetched to me, but it sounds cool.
After the visit to the Acropolis we headed back to the hostel for lunch. Allie and I dined on our grocery purchases. We met back up at 1:00 to visit the Roman remains in the city. We stopped by the Library of Hadrian, which is really a large courtyard, with only a small part set aside for a library. We walked all over for a couple hours, hitting the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s gate and finishing up at the stadium, which was recently renovated for the 2004 Olympics. It was closed, so we couldn’t go inside, but the entire structure is made of marble. No surprise, since marble is so much cheaper here given that the marble quarries are in the mountains that flank the city.
Krentz bought us metro tickets so we could see the frieze reproductions that adorn the walls below. These friezes are copies of those that decorated the Parthenon. We only went to see these reproductions because the Acropolis Museum is closed. I went with Krentz afterwards to check out this church that is supposed to have reused a marble block which depicts Athena, but we couldn’t find the block anywhere on the exterior walls. As a thanks for being the only one to accompany him, he bought me a coffee at the closet café. We sat for a while, talking about Davidson and the effect that the economy is having, and what might be the next steps to cut costs further. Though it was not a light and cheery discussion, it was an interesting one, and I got a better understanding of what the school is facing (hiring freezes for now, but Krentz didn’t know for sure what the next steps will be – hopefully not firing faculty).
After this outing, I went back to the hotel to prep for the discussion we were to have at 6:30. Krentz had a little bit more to say about the Parthenon, and then we discussed whether or not the Parthenon marbles, that were taken by Lord Elgin in 1801, should be returned to Greece. They are currently in the British Museum. It seems that most of the group thought they should stay where they are. I am always in favor of works being returned to their country of origin, but the legal justification for their remaining in England is pretty strong. Arguing a moral justification is much harder. I did my best to support my case, but it seems that I was the only one arguing for their return. Krentz agrees with me, but he stayed out of the discussion, only providing food for thought after we had finished.
I wrote in my journal why I thought the marbles should be returned, organizing my thoughts as a rebuttal to an article we read by Merryman. If you want to read my opinions here they are:
“I have a few issues with Merryman’s argument for the marbles’ remaining in England. I do believe the marbles should be moved back to Greece, despite the legal justification for England’s possession of them. I do agree that the legality of the issue, at least from what we’ve been presented with my Merryman, sides pretty heavily in Britain’s favor. The morality of the issue, I feel, is Merryman’s weakest argument and supports Greece’s case, not England’s.
Just because the world’s greatest museums are in possession of works that are not of that country’s origin, does not justify their remainder in that spot. The removal of works from the country that produced and used them has little justification, in my opinion. Just because the fixing of past errors has its own consequences does not nullify the past errors.
If the safety of the works is the issue, then the temporary removal of the objects can be considered necessary. I don’t believe that Elgin simply had the safety of the objects in mind when he removed the marbles from the Parthenon. If he were alive today and saw that Athens had a safe place to keep them now, I’m sure he would still desire their removal. His motivations were not simply for the integrity of the objects, but were probably financial ones. Also, the people who allowed the marbles to be removed were not the Greeks, but were the Ottoman, who had little regard for Greek culture and history and were poor judges of what should be removed.
Yes, I agree that if the British had removed the marbles, then someone else would have does not mean that it becomes allowable to remove them. This sounds very similar to the argument “would you jump off the bridge just because everyone else is?” There was a threat to the safety of the objects, yes. The British were qualified to remove objects from the threat, yes. But, because the potential for danger is gone, the marbles should be returned. The Greeks shouldn’t have to do anymore than say “thank you” and acknowledge how the British have cared for them (except the cover up of the disastrous cleaning years ago).
One of the most important considerations is that the building is not whole without all its parts. As it stands, it is incomplete. Its part should come as close to the structure (without being exposed to potential harm – like pollution) as possible. The Greeks created the museum to house the marbles to support their case for the return of the marbles. The Parthenon and all its elements were created in Greece, by the Greeks, for Greek purposes. The marbles should be in Greece. Just because Greece has much to show for its flourishing artistic period, does not mean they should be punished by having their art removed without their consent. The argument that there is enough art in Greece already is irrelevant. Greece should be able to determine what of its art goes where. The British and other cultures can still admire the artistic skill of Greek antiquity from Greece. I would even argue that they would gain a better appreciation for the marbles by the sheer proximity to the Parthenon. The Greeks should be the ones to display their country’s works and let others admire the work, wherever the Greeks decide the works should be.”
After the discussion, I had dinner: pasta and salad, and went up to check in with mom via skype testing and got some reading done. We don’t have to leave tomorrow until 10:40, so I will most likely go to bed early and finish the reading in the morning.