The Elgin Marbles faced near-disaster twice: first when they sank aboard the Mentor in 1802 (only 9 of 17 cases recovered after two salvage operations), then in WWII when loaded onto HMS Rodney, which was diverted to hunt Bismarck. Both times, these 5th-century BC Greek sculptures barely survived. ⛵🏛️
Elgin Marbles survived two near-losses: shipwreck and WWII
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Key facts
- The Elgin Marbles are sculptures from the Parthenon and other monuments on the Acropolis, now displayed in the British Museum
- In September 1802, a shipment of 17 wooden cases sank aboard the Mentor off Kithra harbor
- Sponge divers recovered only 4 of 17 cases initially; a Royal Navy ship failed to raise the vessel
- By October 1804, salvage operations recovered additional 5 cases, buried on a beach in seaweed
- The total salvage operation cost Elgin $5,000, equivalent to approximately $450,000 today
- In May 1941, some marbles were loaded onto HMS Rodney bound for Boston
- The HMS Rodney was diverted to attack the German battleship Bismarck and suffered damage
- The Elgin marbles were nearly lost again to the Atlantic during WWII
Sources
Lost Parthenon Piece Unearthed From Lord Elgin's Shipwrecknews.artnet.com
In the summer of 2025, underwater archaeologists found a Parthenon marble at the wreck of the Mentor, one of Lord Elgin's ships.
Mentor (brig) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Mentor was a brig bought by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, in order to transport antiquities from Athens. The cargo included a significant number of ...
Mentor Shipwreck on Kythira Island | Greekagreeka.com
The wrecked ship Mentor is located near the small harbor of Avlemonas. Since 1802, when the ship was sunk into the sea, to this day, many valuable objects ...
Divers' shipwreck discovery links Lord Elgin to marbles - Divernetdivernet.com
Mentor hit rocks and sank outside the port of Avlemonas in the south-east of Kythira in September 1802. It was privately owned by Lord Elgin, ...
'Mentor' shipwreck study uncovers possible fragment of Parthenonheritagedaily.com
The Mentor, a privately owned ship belonging to Lord Elgin, sank in ... It's sinking scattered part of this cargo on the seabed ...
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