ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates Greek public opinion regarding the issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. It argues that the wider discourse on the return of the Parthenon Marbles revolves around two main arguments: reunification and repatriation based on a public survey conducted in Athens in the summer of 2010. It explains the reunification thesis is academically-led, highlighting aesthetics, integrity and the universal value of the Marbles, and that the Marbles are an integral part of a world monument. The chapter explains the reunification thesis is an indicative example of the 'authorized heritage discourse', a hegemonic discourse that constitutes the way we think, talk, and write about heritage. It is therefore an argument that reflects expert values attached to heritage, such as aesthetics, monumentality and integrity. Although it could be argued that the repatriation claim is also authoritatively discursive since it was shaped and disseminated by Greek governmental authorities.
