Elgin Marbles film settles divisive cultural debate, director claims

A new documentary proves "beyond any shadow of a doubt" that the Elgin Marbles were stolen, according to its director.

David Wilkinson claims The Marbles settles one of the most divisive debates in cultural heritage: whether 19th-century diplomat Lord Elgin legally acquired the Parthenon Sculptures, better known as the Elgin Marbles. The film revisits how the sculptures were removed from the Parthenon in Athens while Greece was under Ottoman rule - and ended up in London.

It argues that Lord Elgin did not legally acquire the artefacts - and instead, it amounts to "the greatest heist in art history". Actor Brian Cox, historian Dominic Selwood and solicitor Mark Stephens are among those who appear in the documentary.

The British government bought the sculptures from Lord Elgin and installed them into the trusteeship of the British Museum, where they have remained for 200 years. "He needed the money from the British government to pay for all the bribes he'd given to members of the Ottoman Empire," Mr Wilkinson said of the transaction.

"Lord Elgin did sell them ... but the question becomes, did Lord Elgin actually have the right to purchase them?" Classical archaeologist, Dr Mario Trabucco della Torretta dismisses Mr Wilkinson's claims.

"The allegation of bribery to obtain the Marbles is just wrong in historical terms," he told Sky News. Dr Torretta was the key architect behind a joint letter that included former prime minister Liz Truss, historian Dr David Starkey and Sir John Redwood - alleging the British Museum is part of a "covert" and "accelerating campaign" to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

Responding to Mr Wilkinson's claims of bribery, he added: "The only reference to 'presents' comes years after the start of the removals … do people presume that they run a 'bribe now, pay later' scheme back then in Constantinople?" One of the most contentious points in the debate is the legitimacy of an Ottoman permission document known as a "firman.