Reports suggest Parthenon Marbles exchange deal between Greece and the UK is close

The British Museum and the Acropolis Museum are nearing a deal that would see the Parthenon Marbles returned to Greece from the United Kingdom over time as part of a cultural exchange, according to a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday.

Citing persons familiar with the matter who declined to be identified because a deal hasn’t been finalised, Bloomberg said an agreement would see a proportion of the marbles sent to Athens on rotation over several years.

In exchange, other objects would effectively be loaned to The British Museum in London, and Britain could also get plaster copies of the Parthenon Marbles.

According to Ekathimerini, sources within the Greek Culture Ministry have dismissed this Bloomberg report.

The alleged deal would put an end to a battle over the ancient treasures that stretches back to the 1800s, when the Parthenon Marbles were first stolen from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin.