William St Clair

Scholar of ancient Greece and of the Parthenon Marbles

Contested prospect: two new books see the Parthenon through the eyes of a legal expert and a lifelong scholar of Greek history

The great temple to Athena has emerged from the vicissitudes of earthquakes, war, looting and rebuilding to be caught up in a monumental restitution debate

Eleni Vassilika

Parthenon Marblesarchive

British Museum's findings on the Parthenon marbles cleaning incident said to lack key details

The publication is interpreted by William St Clair to be the result of efforts to protect the institution's reputation

Martin Bailey

Parthenon Marblesarchive

The Parthenon Marbles and cultural politics: What are we really all talking about?

At a major conference held on 30 November and 1 December 1999, British Museum, Greek and international scholars discussed the nature of any damage to the Marbles in the hushed-up cleaning of the 1930s. Mary Beard puts the discussions in context and tells how, ever since their acquisition in 1816 by Lord Elgin, the Marbles have aroused fierce debate. Why?

Mary Beard

Parthenon Marblesarchive

Parthenon Marbles conference report: Academic interchange remains almost completely civil at the British Museum

The restitution question was hardly mentioned, but it tautened everyone’s nerves

Martin Bailey

Parthenonarchive

William St Clair makes a rebuttal to the British Museum's defence of its competence to curate Parthenon Marbles

St Clair demands greater candour in the fallout of Lord Elgin and the Marbles' third edition, in which it was asserted that over-cleaning had irreparably damaged the marbles

William St Clair

Parthenon Marblesarchive

Historian William St Clair's account of Parthenon marbles malpractice at British Museum revives lobby calling for their return

Greeks renew demands for return of sculptures following new allegations that they were irreparably damaged in the Thirties

Ian Jenkins