Lord Byron ‘First to Raise Issue of Looted Parthenon Sculptures’

Lord Byron was the first to raise the issue that the Parthenon sculptures were “looted” by Lord Elgin, said Greek Deputy Minister of Culture, Christos Dimas.

The Greek official was invited by the University of Cambridge to the event of the 200-year anniversary of the death of the famous romantic British poet at Missolonghi during his participation in the Greek War of Independence.

The two-day event that took place at Trinity College was organized by the Cambridge Centre for Greek Studies, as Lord Byron had graduated from Cambridge University.

Along with the Greek deputy minister, the event was attended by Greek Defense Minister, Nikos Dendias. The Greek officials laid a wreath on behalf of the Greek Government.

2024: Year of Lord Byron in Greece

During his speech, the Greek deputy minister talked about the work and life of Lord Byron, his love for Greece, his contribution to the 1821 Revolution, and his contribution to spreading the wave of philhellenism across Europe.

The Greek official also made a special reference to the Parthenon Sculptures and the ongoing Greek efforts for their repatriation from the British Museum.

Christos Dimas emphasized that “Lord Byron was the first to raise the issue of the snatching of the Parthenon Sculptures from their natural habitat and he opposed the act by publicly criticizing Lord Elgin. I remind you that the (Greek) Ministry of Culture has declared 2024 the Year of Lord Byron.”

The program of the two-day event included academic lectures on the work and life of Lord Byron and its relevance today, readings of contemporary poetry by established and emerging poets, and a concert of music especially written for the anniversary.

Centenary Ceremony in 1924

Cambridge University Linguistics Professor and Trinity College Fellow Napoleon Katsos, noted that “This is a particularly symbolic ceremony, which underlines the deepest bonds of friendship between the British and Greek people. Byron studied and loved Greece in all its aspects, from ancient to modern. With his work and his own life, he sealed a relationship of friendship and spiritual kinship that is alive to this day. I want to thank Trinity College for hosting this event and the Greek State for enthusiastically responding to our invitation. I am moved by the message given in such a modest way, that 200 years later ‘Greece remembers’.”

The laying of a wreath in memory of Lord Byron is a continuation of a similar ceremony that took place in 1924, on the centenary of the death of the great poet. The Secretary of the Greek Mission in London, was present at Trinity College to lay a wreath. The dedications on the wreaths laid in 1924 are preserved in the college archives, along with the poet’s manuscripts and personal effects.

At the ceremony, the Greek Ambassador in London, Ioannis Tsaousis, Kyriaki Mitsou, representing the Missolonghi mayor, and Konstantinos Velentzas, representing the Society of Hellenism and Philhellenism, also laid wreaths at the commemoration event.