By Nathan Guerra
Introduction
Every year, millions of people visit the Acropolis in Athens to marvel at the beauty of the Parthenon. Originally built as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena after the Greeks’ victory over the Persians, this architectural masterpiece embodies the legacy of the Athenian Golden Age.
In 1801, Lord Elgin is said to have received a Firman, a royal decree or official document issued by the Ottoman Empire granting permission or authority, which allegedly allowed him to remove and export sculptures from the Parthenon and other ancient buildings on the Acropolis. This led to Lord Elgin removing what is estimated to be half of the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon ruins.
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