Berkley Center

As I approach the five month mark for my time spent in England, I appreciate my familiar surroundings. I am oriented to London-living. I get around on the Underground system quite easily and navigate my way through Covent Garden like a native Londoner. In my first letter from abroad, I wrote about the overwhelming experience of relocating to London, the global city. While I am no longer overwhelmed, I still consider London to be an international hub.

I continue to have new and remarkable experiences each time I explore this international city. One way to explore such a large city is to visit national museums, galleries, and churches. These institutions are not only havens for British symbols of culture and religion, but also for international symbols acquired from countries around the world. In the global city, artifacts from around the world can be found on display at the British Museum, National Gallery of London, Tate Modern, and British Library. I question, however, how Britain defines its role in the globalizing world—, especially considering London's representation of many different cultural groups. With so many contemporary and ancient marvels in its possession, I find myself reflecting on London's diverse cultural nuances. Of particular interest to me is the influence of Eastern Orthodox religion and ancient Greek culture in modern Britain.

As a Greek Orthodox Christian, I explore the topic of the Turkish occupation of Cyprus relative to British dominance. The British Museum houses many cultural artifacts that were looted out of the occupied homes of Greek Cypriots during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Byzantine art and artifacts from Orthodox churches in occupied Cyprus have since been acquired by the British. Cypriot relics are put on display in London despite Cyprus' plea to have them back. The humanitarian issues involved with the Turkish occupation, therefore, involve more than just the political struggle between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Powerful outside actors, like the British, play a part as well. I ventured to the British Museum to see what I could learn about Britain's acquisition of Cypriot artifacts.

The British Museum holds one of the most extensive collections of ancient Cypriot objects outside of Cyprus. The museum displays Cypriot development from small village society to urban center. Cyprus became a major source of raw materials and an industrial powerhouse between 4000 BCE and 1200 BCE. The British Museum highlights Cyprus' growing diversity and multicultural nature over time with an elaborate portrayal of Byzantine and Christian influence in the region. Despite the powerful exhibit, the ‘stolen art’ versus ‘finder’s-keepers’ debate continues. Should the British Museum have the right to host treasures which are rightfully owned by the Cypriots, especially since most of these treasures are products of looting and Turkish occupation? This question is not easily answered. The lines for decision-making on the matter are blurred as London remains a cultural capital of the globalizing world.

I found that the British Museum is also home to Greece's Elgin Marbles. The marbles are statues that were originally found at the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena which sits atop the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. During a recent visit to Athens, I saw posters and signs saying: “"Give us back the Marbles!”" Should Greece have its property returned? Assuming the British obtained the marbles legally, the fact remains that these artifacts are a part of Greek rather than British history. Politics, religion, and art intersect in a dilemma of ownership for the cases of Cyprus and Greece.

Finally, I visited the British Library to gain insight about due ownership of religious and literary texts. The British Library is home to original manuscripts of Britain's finest authors. William Shakespeare and C.S. Lewis are among many British authors rightfully displayed there. The Magna Carta is also on due display at the British Library. However, I came across Germany's Gutenberg Bible alongside Britain's literary treasures. The British Library houses two of only 21 complete original copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world. Is Germany the rightful owner of these copies? This question illustrates the same ongoing debate exemplified by the struggle between artifacts and owners in both Cyprus and Greece. To which country is the historic representation more meaningful, and who should have the right to display these cultural remnants?

The debate is not only about art and artifacts external to Britain, but also exists on an internal level. The British Library is home to the single illuminated manuscript of the Lindisfarne Gospel, which was produced in Northumbria, England. Contention arises over whether the Gospel should be returned to the northeast of England even though it resides in the same country it was written and published in. Is the Gospel so valuable to international scholarship that it must be displayed in London, a more accessible cultural center, or should the manuscript reside at its birthplace in northern England, even if this makes it less obtainable for academic study?

The globalizing world lends no easy answer to the dilemma over who owns these precious works and where they should rightfully be displayed. It is inevitable that intranational and international conflicts will continue over the ownership of sacred texts, important symbols, and national icons. Living in London has made me appreciate the debate of ownership over cultural and religious artifacts that I would have taken for granted otherwise. Experiencing British museums and exhibits firsthand has taught me that various shades of grey define the complexities behind ownership and display of important artifacts.