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THE ELGIN MARBLES: THE STORY OF THE PARTHENON AND ARCHAEOLOGY'S GREATEST CONTROVERSY
BY DOROTHY KING
(HUTCHINSON, pounds-18.99)
DOROTHY King is one of our better-known young archaeologists and she knows a good story when she hears one. King recounts that in the early 1980s, when the Greek film star Melina Mercouri was trying to crank up a political career for herself, she descended on the British Museum in London to make an emotional plea for the repatriation of the Elgin marbles to Athens.
In front of a bemused bunch of museum officials, the renowned Hellene threw herself down before a collection of ancient sculptures, kissed the floor and declared: "This is our history, this is our soul. They are the symbol and the blood and the soul of the Greek people." At which point a gentlemanly chap helped Ms Mercouri to her feet and explained, sotto voce, of course, that the Elgin marbles were in the room next door.
This anecdote shows the kind of light touch that makes King's book such an enjoyable read. In telling the convoluted tale of the famous sculptures - over which the Greek and British governments are still haggling - she covers more than 3000 years of European and Middle Eastern history, but does so...