News round-up: Brexit new short at the return of Parthenon Marbles and 2000-year-old road was discovered in Turkey

A small catch-you-up news post today: Greece asks EU for the return of the Parthenon Marbles as part of Brexit, and the discovery of a 2000-year-old road in Western Turkey


Greece asks EU for return of Parthenon Marbles as part of Brexit

For over three decades, Greece has repeatedly called on the British Museum to return the 2,500-year-old marble sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon and have been the subject of dispute since they were illegally removed and sold by Lord Elgin to the British Museum in 1817. Now, with Brexit negations going strong, the Greek government is requesting that the ongoing issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece be made a part of it. Greece cites EU treaty law as the foundation of its claim. European Parliament member Stelios Kouloglou adds:.

“Brexit negotiators must take into account the need to protect European cultural heritage… The Parthenon Marbles are considered as the greatest symbol of European culture. Therefore, reuniting the marbles would be both a sign of respect and civilised relationship between Great Britain and the EU, and much more [than] a legal necessity.”

In response, a European Commission spokesperson said he believed that the Brexit team is not legally obliged to address the issue, citing Articles 3, 50 and 167. “The Parthenon Marbles were removed long before this date, and the EU has no competence in the matter,” Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport said, referring to a directive on the return of unlawfully removed cultural objects which applies to items removed after January 1, 1993.

2000-year-old road discovered in Western Turkey

A 55-kilometer section of a road that was built 2,000 years ago has been discovered in ongoing excavations of the ancient city of Aigai, located in Turkey‘s Manisa province. Aigai was one of the 12 ancient cities established in Western Anatolia. Assistant Professor Yusuf Sezgin, faculty member at the Celal Bayar University Archaeology Department and head of the excavation team, explained that the team had come across a road dating back to the Roman era in 1st century A.D., which started from the Aegean Sea shore and was once used to facilitate transport between Izmir and Manisa.

"It is noteworthy that the road is as solid as the first day is was built. Our examination showed that large water discharge channels were constructed under the road to prevent possible flash floods. In addition, we noticed that engravings were carved upon the stone plating to prevent horses from slipping during winter."

The road was first used as a route for war campaigns, and later for trade caravans, Sezgin explained, noting that it was part of a larger system of paths operated by the Roman Empire, which was famous for building vast networks of roads. Sezgin said that excavation work, which began in 2004, has pointed to evidence that the city became a regional point of economic and cultural attraction during the Hellenistic period in the 3rd century B.C., with the support of the Kingdom of Pergamon, located some 30 kilometers north of Aigai, nestled in the Yunt Mountains of the Aegean region. Sezgin added that he hoped the road would be open for visitors in the upcoming years.