Elgin Marbles
Should the Elgin Marbles be returned to Athens?
Listening part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Bwwi8O5BQ
Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of "losing his marbles" as Rishi Sunak said Greece's leader was "grandstanding" in a row over the Elgin Marbles.
Mr Sunak looked uncomfortable as the Labour leader delivered one-liners and put-downs in exchanges over the diplomatic spat with Greece.
The PM cancelled his meeting with Greece's leader at the last minute in a row over the return of the ancient artefacts.
Sources say the Greek leader was left "baffled, surprised and not a little bit annoyed" amid reports Greece backtracked on assurances ministers would not attempt to discuss the fate of the treasures.
(Sir Keir Starmer obvinil premiéra, že "ztratil zdravý rozum", protože Rishi Sunak řekl, že řecký premiér se "předváděl" v hádce kvůli Elgin Marbles. Pan Sunak se tvářil nepříjemně, když předseda strany labouristů pronesl vtipy a uzemňovali se za diplomatický spor s Řeckem. Premiér na poslední chvíli zrušil schůzku s řeckým premiérem o navrácení starověkých artefaktů. Zdroje říkají, že řecký premiér byl zanechán "zmatený, překvapený ale ani trochu naštvaný" uprostřed zpráv, že Řecko ustoupilo od ujištění, že se ministři nebudou pokoušet diskutovat o osudu pokladů.
"to grandstand" means "to show off", particularly in the political sphere. It is often used when a politician is making big statements to get some respect or support, but the statements are either meaningless or lies.
So, in this case, I imagine Sunak is saying that he believes the Greek leader is making big, patriotic statements about the Elgin Marbles so the Greek people think he is a patriot. But in reality, he doesn't care about them at all. (explained by Sam)
lose one ´ s marbles - idiom - blbnout, ztratit zdravý rozum, přeskočilo mu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3MXPqYKKRM - The Parthenon is among the greatest national treasures of Greece, but important parts of it have been displayed at the British Museum in London for two centuries. Should they be returned to Athens?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJNE1qzokIQ - The government in London bought the statues from their ambassador in Greece Lord Elgin. But what right did he have to sell them, asks Paul Cartledge of Cambridge University.
Reading part:
A sculpture from the Elgin Marbles has been allowed to leave the UK for the first time since Lord Elgin turned up objevit se in Greece in early 1800 and had them stripped from rozebrat the Parthenon and shipped poslat lodí to Britain. Elgin believed he was rescuing the sculptures from the risk of further damage.
Athens' Parthenon, a classical temple antický chrám built by the ancient Greeks, was in a dilapidated state zchátralý stav by the time Thomas Bruce, the seventh Earl of Elgin, became British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire osmanská, otomanská říše, in 1799. Partially destroyed částečně zničený by early Christians, converted into a mosque přestavět na mešitu and later used as a weapons store sklad zbraníby the Ottoman Turks (osmanští Turci), some 40% of the Parthenon's 2,250-year-old sculptures had been destroyed by the time Elgin took up his diplomatic post nastoupit na diplomatické místo in Constantinople Cařihrad.
Elgin, an art lover, claimed tvrdit the sculptures were better off lépe, že je pryč in Britain than the perilous environment nebezpečné/riskantní prostředí he found them in. In 1801, he negotiated vyjednat what he claimed was permission povolení from the Turks - who then controlled Athens - to remove statues from the Parthenon.
The document upon which Elgin claimed legality has been cited citovat, uvádět by campaigners bojovník on both sides of the argument, whose interpretations of it inevitably differ nutně/nevyhnutelně liší.
The British Museum maintains trvat na svém that Elgin was an official diplomat and had acted with the permission of Turkish authorities.Greek campaigners argue that the Turks were a foreign force acting against the will of the people vůle lidí they had invaded přepadnout. The opposing sides proti strany agree on only one thing - that the Elgin Marbles form one of the most important collections of classical art in existence.
The Marbles which were taken to Britain include zahrnovat the sculpted frieze plastika/vlys that once ran all round the building vést kolem celé budovy, 17 life-sized marble figures and 15 of the 92 metopes (sculpted panels) metopa.
On his return to England, Elgin told a Parliamentary inquest parlamentní vyšetřování that a desire to protect what was left of the treasure zbýt z pokladuwas part of his motivation in taking them. The Turks, he claimed, had been even grinding rozdrtitdown the statues to make mortar malta. However, in prising out oddělovat silousome of the pieces that still remained in place, Elgin's agents inevitably inflicted způsobit neodvratně further damage on the fragile ruin křehká ruina.
The argument - attributed přisuzovat to Elgin that the Marbles could be admired by people from all over the world in their new location - is also contradicted být v rozporuby his original intention původní záměrto house umístit them in his private home.The sculptures were transported to Britain between 1801 and 1805; by 1807 they were on show in London.
For Elgin, at least, the triumph was short-lived krátkodobý. Bankrupted zkrachovat and in the throes of uprostřed (čeho) a humiliating divorce ponižující rozvodfrom his wealthy wife, Elgin needed cash. So began a new chapter of the history of the Marbles - as museum objects. In 1816, Parliament paid £350,000 for the Parthenon Marbles - most of which went to Elgin's many creditors věřitel- and a new home was found at the British Museum, albeit initially in a shed i když původně v hangáru.
Since 1832 - apart from the years when they were sheltered být schovaný in Aldwych underground station to avoid war damage vyhnout se válečným škodám- the Marbles have remained in the British Museum.
A highlight zlatý hřebof the British tourist trail, their uncomfortable acquisition znepokojivé nabytíhas put them at the heart of one of Europe's most entrenched cultural disputes zakořeněný kulturní spor.
In a blog about the loan zápůjčka, Mr MacGregor, the director, said " the British Museum was a "museum of the world, for the world". The arrival of the Elgin Marbles in London, it is argued, transformed Europe's understanding of ancient Greek Art.
It was first argued they should be returned to Greece in 1925, and today Greece still refuses to recognise the Museum's ownership.Thirty per cent of the remaining sculptures remain in Athens, which the Greek authorities maintain is their proper home and natural cultural landscape. "It's time to heal the wounds of the monument with the return of the marbles which belong to it," said then Greek President Karolos Papoulias in 2009, at the opening of the Acropolis Museum. But so far British authorities have opposed stavět se proti all calls for the return of the marbles, with David Cameron saying last year that he did not believe in what he called "returnism".
Vocabulary part - play on quizlet :
turn up objevit se
strip from rozebrat, oddělit
ship poslat, zaslat (lodí)
classical temple antický chrám
dilapidated state zchátralý stav
the Ottoman Empire osmanská, otomanská říše
partially destroyed částečně zničený
converted into a mosque přestavět na mešitu
weapons store sklad zbraní
take up his diplomatic post nastoupit na diplomatické místo
Constantinople Cařihrad
claimed tvrdit
be better off lépe, že je pryč
perilous environment nebezpečné/riskantní prostředí
permission povolení
cite citovat, uvádět
campaigners bojovník
inevitably differ nutně/nevyhnutelně liší
the will of the people přání/vůle lidí
invade přepadnout
include zahrnovat
sculpted frieze plastika/vlys
run all round the building vést kolem celé budovy
gable end (or pediments) štít
metopes (or sculpted panels) metopa
column sloup
plunder drancovat
pilfer "souvenirs" krást suvenýry
fragment úlomky
parliamentary inquest parlamentní vyšetřování
be left of the treasure zbýt z pokladu
grinding down rozdrtit
mortar malta
prising out vydolovat, vytáhnout
inevitably inflict nevyhnutelně natropit/způsobit
fragile ruin křehká/zranitelná ruina/troska/pozůstatek
attribute přisuzovat, přičítat
be contradicted být v rozporu
original intention původní záměr
house umístit, ubytovat
short-lived krátkodobý
acquisition nakoupení, nabytí
in the throes of uprostřed (čeho)
humiliating divorce ponižující rozvod
creditor věřitel
albeit initially in a shed i když původně v depu/hale
be sheltered být schovaný
to avoid war damage vyhnout se válečným škodám
A highlight zlatý hřeb
uncomfortable acquisition znepokojivé nabytí
entrenched cultural disputes zakořeněný kulturní spor
loan půjčka, zápůjčka
integral nedílný, neodlučitelný
recognise ownership uznat vlastnictví
authorities úřady
heal the wounds zahojit rány
oppose stavět se proti
Debate : Should the Elgin Marbles be returned to Athens? Pros and cons.