We almost got banned in Greece!?

[Robert Vermaat]

Thanks for your efforts, Stefanos!

Guys, Stefanos is also right about modern politics and religion - forum rules say we leave that alone as a rule.

About the monuments and artefacts and their care, well, there's ben so much time and ownership where those are concerned, I'd say it's almost impossible to lay the blame anywhere. The Elgin Marbles (to take up one hot topic) for instance, can we even blame a country? Most decisions were made locally, artefacts changed hands between private persons often, legally or illegally.

In case we forget it, these rich collectors of 200 years ago, have also been at the basis of our modern knowledge and method! Schliemann, who probably took home much more stuff than the Turks allowed him (above the counter, I bet he paid some 'officials' handsomely to look the other way) was also a rich foreigner without whose passion archaeoly would not have made it to the newspaper headlines so quickly. Tutachamun was dug up by a foreigner in Egypt (Carter), paid by another (very rich) foreigner (Carnarvon), with the results we know. Most stuff from Egypt was 'collected' by foreigners during the 19th c. (I think - earlier even?), but without them they'd never have sparked European interest to study Egypt, or to translate hieroglyphs. Not to mention all the other work done on the Near and Middle East!

Etcetera, etcetera.

My point? We can't undo the past. Bad things happened then, but a lot of good also came of that.