Elgin
el'jin, a county and city in northern Scotland. Also the name of a British earldom. Nearly every state in the American Union has an Elgin. The largest city of the name is Elgin, Illinois, noted for its manufacture of watches.
Elgin (el'jin) Marbles, a collection of sculpture originally adorning the Parthenon at Athens. While ambassador at Constantinople from 1799 to 1802, Thomas Bruce, the seventh earl of Elgin, obtained permission from the Turkish government to take any stones from Athens "that might appear interesting to him." Athens, it must be remembered, was at this date a tumble-down city sheltering a village of wretched peasants and herds-men. Lord Elgin expended a fortune of about $350,000 in making excavations, and in removing and transporting to England the treasures of Phidias, the great sculptor. He secured in this way the greater part of the frieze and the relics of two gable ends of the Parthenon as well as a number of statues and capitals. The English government returned him about half the sum. These remains of ancient art, known as the Elgin Marbles, are now placed in the Elgin room of the British Museum. Some of them are much chipped and injured; others are nearly perfect. One frieze, composed, of course, of many separate slabs, is about 175 yards long. The Elgin Marbles are regarded as the choicest specimens of ancient art in existence. Could it have been foreseen that Athens would so soon become the capital of an independent country, without doubt Lord Elgin would have refrained from helping himself to these treasures. It may be said in defense, however, that they were preserved in this way from the partial destruction which overtook the Parthenon during the subsequent war for Grecian independence. They have been accessible to the scholars of the world, and have been well cared for. It is just possible that, as facilities for traveling increase and the desire of mankind rises to see them in their original position, they may be restored at some future time to the Parthenon. See Parthenon; Aegina; Sculpture