Upon decision by the Greek Education Ministry the art history schoolbook is to be withdrawn for its “monstrous references” misrepresent the history of the Parthenon Marbles housed in the British Museum. The textbook, which was published in 2003, mentions that the Parthenon treasures were “transported” to England, without elaborating further the way that happened. 

For the past 35 years, Greek governments are on an ongoing campaign to return the Parthenon sculptures to their “home”. The British Museum refuses to return the sculptures claiming that they were acquired by Elgin through a legitimate contract with the Ottoman Empire that was ruling Greece at the time. The sculptures were removed from Acropolis in 1801 by the Scottish nobleman Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, Great Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Bruce later sold them to the British government.

Education Minister Andreas Loverdos said that as of next year the book will no longer be used in schools and he has sent instructions to schoolteachers nationwide on how they should present the subject of the Parthenon Marbles correctly. 

Controversy over the book arose following recent allegations by SYRIZA lawmaker Tasos Kourakis. “It is unthinkable that students are being taught that the Parthenon Marbles were 'transported'. They were violently extracted from their monument”, he said.