Increasingly, the international debate over the ownership of antiquities which may once have been procured in less than honest fashion seems to be swinging around to a “give everything back if they ask for it” consensus. But the British Museum’s steadfast refusal to hand over the Elgin Marbles that once belonged to Greece has stood out as a notable example of an institution claiming a higher right to an artifact. “In many instances, national treasures are better off outside their countries of origin – better cared for, receiving more attention, and more accessible… It is one of the paradoxes of culture that museums confer as much as acknowledge beauty.”