Britain and Greece’s Relations Melt Down in Parthenon Sculptures Row

Toby Melville/ReutersThe British government found itself in a bizarre diplomatic crisis on Tuesday stemming from a decades-long row with Greece about where a collection of ancient Greek sculptures should be kept.On Monday night, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unexpectedly axed a Tuesday meeting with his Greek counterpart, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. A 10 Downing Street source told the BBC that the Brits believed they had assurances that Mitsotakis would not publicly discuss the Parthenon Sculptures during his visit to the U.K.—assurances which a Greek source told the British broadcaster were never given.The sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed from the Parthenon in Athens and brought to the U.K. in the early nineteenth century by British diplomat Lord Elgin. They have since been displayed almost without interruption as one of the main attractions at the British Museum in London since 1832.Read more at The Daily Beast.