The Palermo fragment is a 2,500 years old marble sculpture fragment of the foot and dress of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis.
The Palermo fragment was taken by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon in the early 19th century and given to the British Consul to Sicily in 1816. For the past two centuries, the fragment has been kept at the Salinas Archaeological Museum in Palermo. Greece's 13-year campaign for the return of the fragment finally ended on September 24, 2008, when Italian President Giorgio Napolitano delivered the fragment to Athens. It is anticipated that the move will strengthen Greece's request for the British Museum to return the Elgin Marbles.
Famous quotes containing the word fragment:
“To rescue from oblivion even a fragment of a language which men have used and which is in danger of being lost—that is to say, one of the elements, whether good or bad, which have shaped and complicated civilization—is to extend the scope of social observation and to serve civilization.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)