the Parthenon marbles
/ðə ˌpɑːθənən ˈmɑːblz/
/ðə ˌpɑːrθəˌnɑːn ˈmɑːrblz/
(also the Parthenon sculptures
/ðə ˌpɑːθənən ˈskʌlptʃəz/
/ðə ˌpɑːrθəˌnɑːn ˈskʌlptʃərz/
, the Elgin marbles)- a set of marble sculptures of the 5th century BC from the outside of the Parthenon in Athens which are now in the British Museum. They were brought to Britain in the early 1800s by Lord Elgin. Elgin sold them to the British government in 1816. The Greek government has asked Britain to return them to Greece many times.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
the Parthenon marbles