It seems that Greece cannot do enough to raise local and international awareness of the Parthenon Marbles and the identity of their rightful owners.

Domestic Awareness:

The senior high school schoolbook for the final year of secondary art history studies has been recalled following a reference to the removal of the Parthenon Marbles as a “transfer” rather than theft by Lord Elgin. Specifically, page 190 states that Lord Elgin “transferred” the marbles to England in 1806.

“It’s a monstrous statement,” says Education Minister Andreas Loverdos, refering to the book that went to print in 2003 and had been approved at the start of 2000 when art history was introduced as an elective in Greek senior high schools. The Greek education institution has now proceeded to send guidelines and suggestions to art history teachers of the 3rd year of Lyceum so that they can give the correct information to final-year students this year before the book is removed from the curriculum.

International Awareness:

Marathon Mayor Ilias Psinakis and the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) called on citizens and politicians to take part in a protest for the return of the Parthenon Marbles outside the New Acropolis Museum on Sunday, January 18. The date was chosen to coincide with the return of the Ilissos sculpture that had been lent to the Hermitage Museum in Russia to the British Museum in London where it is held.

The protest is to “raise the awareness of itnernational public opinion” for the return of the marbles” and is part of a larger initiative aimed at protecting and spreading Greek cultural heritage.