If the Artifact or the location of such is not provided, we may issue a public statement regarding the destruction of sacred artifacts supranatural and mundane. So where is it?
A letter from the Greek Ministry of Culture to the British Museum
To Director Sir Mark Jones,
Greetings. On behalf of my country and government, I extend a warm hand of welcome and gratitude for all your great country has done, both for the people of Greece and to the world at large. As ministers and stewards to cultures with histories much richer and roots much deeper than either of us could ever hope to fully appreciate, I hope you regard this letter with nothing but the kindness with which it was written.
In the Spring of 1941, Allied forces led by British soldiers marched bravely into Greece to combat the Axis, with both the Italian and German armies arrayed against you. Later that same year the British army wisely chose to retreat, and in the process generously decided to protect much of Greece's sacred cultural heritage from Axis desecration through the removal and evacuation of many hundreds of cultural artifacts.
And further back, in the early years of the 19th century, when Napoleon held the Old World in his hand, several intrepid antiquarians and scholars came to visit Greece. With their research, funds, and motivation, archeological digs managed to surface and identify many relics and artifacts lost to time, helping us to understand more of our history and our culture, taking many of these objects back to Britain for additional study.
Again we thank you for your noble effort to protect democracy and your good works across the world. But as time marches on, we at the Greek Ministry of Culture believe that our country is ready for the return of those artifacts that are so dear to us, and ask that you repatriate them so that they may decorate the museums and galleries of our homeland once more. Provided with this letter is a small pool of artifacts that we deem highest priority.
Με εκτίμηση,
Antonis Samaras
Minister of Culture
12 July 2009
Close cultural-relics.pdf
- Elgin Marbles, including the Parthenon marbles, and additional artifacts from the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaia (sourced from Athens).
- The Amphora of Dionysus (sourced from Thebes)
- The original Townley Venus, circa 4th century BCE (sourced from Athens)
- The Chariot of Helios (sourced from Athens)
- Numerous Cycladic figurines, circa 3200-3000 BCE
- The moving statues of the Temple of Aphaea (sourced from Aegina)
- All biological specimina and human remains (notable examples will be listed again for emphasis)
- Architectural artifacts of the Treasury of Atreus (sourced from Mycenae)
- Both preserved Antikythera mechanisms (sourced from Corinth)
- The Bassae Frieze, and other associated artifacts (sourced from Bassae)
Expand list? There are 155 additional entries.
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A letter from the English Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Greek Ministry of Culture
Esteemed Sir or Madam,
It pleases me to see the repatriation effort to have been a success, with several dozen of our items loaned back to your country for the viewing pleasure of your citizens, and further negotiations are being held for even more artifacts. We hope that this further strengthens the bond between Great Britain and Greece, and that this act of charity will be remembered in the coming years.
However, we have heard the repeated requests for one item in particular, and I am afraid that we are unable to relinquish it to your care. Due to unforeseen events, it would be quite impossible for us in good conscience and efficient logistics to tender the Artifact into your trust. I am deeply sorry about this occurrence, and hope it does not tarnish this otherwise unblemished transaction.
On behalf of myself, the British Museum, and the rest of the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, I wish you a pleasant day.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage
23 May 2014
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562 pages of additional correspondence OMITTED for brevity.
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A joint letter from the Greek Ministry of the Unnatural and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Global Occult Coalition branch to English Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Rt Hon. The Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay,
On behalf of the People of the Hellenic Republic, and with the full support of UNESCO-GOC, we would like to forcefully inquire again as to the status of the Artifact, where it may be kept, and whom may be in possession of the Artifact.
The decade of constant delays, rebuffs, and unprofessional manner in which your organization and country conducts itself is frankly disgraceful, and not a stance that should be taken up by any developed, civilized nation.
A society should be able to hold and cherish their own history and culture, and elevate it for all to see, citizen and foreigner alike. This history made manifest should be touched by their own hands and seen with their own eyes to know that they are not rootless, they are not all that exists in this moment or others.
They should be able to know that their grandfather's grandfather's grandfather lived a life as equally full or empty, rich or poor, and filled with the same wonder and despair that fills all of our lives. That their ancestors are not merely names in a history book, but people.
Due to the cultural value the relic possesses, if the Artifact or the location of such is not provided, we may feel forced to issue a joint public statement regarding the cultural destruction of sacred artifacts both supranatural and mundane stretching many thousands of years into our collective history.
So in a final, polite request, we have to ask:
Where is it?
Mετά τιμής.
5 November 2021
A letter from the English Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Greek Ministry of the Unnatural, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Global Occult Coalition branch
To all it may concern,
I believe our missing Artifact has been found.
Close Document-1.pdf
DECLASSIFIED AS PART OF THE CHENEY-CORTEZ FOUNDATION TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2025
Item #: SCP-8968
Object Class: Neutralized
Archived Special Containment Procedures: Due to the location and nature of SCP-8968, no containment procedures are required.
Description: SCP-8968 are the remains of a Mycenaean (circa 14-13th century BCE) chariot, its two riders, and team of four horses. Recovered samples and infrared spectroscopy of the chariot indicate that it is composed of primarily bronze, dessicated juniper wood, and slight traces of gold and radioactive isotopes.
The brazen bodywork of the chariot appears severely pitted and burned, with scorch-marks that bear a resemblance to that of ablative shielding or other materials that have undergone high-temperature stressors. Reliefs of rays, constellations, and other celestial objects or symbols are visible, though heavily obscured by surface damage.
SCP-8968 is in a disassembled state, showing signs of damage consistent with a high-velocity impact. The rims of the wheels are shattered, with splintered spokes strewn around the area. The central shaft has been bent askew, and is jammed between two boulders. The axle has pierced through the underside of the carriage, and through the thigh of one of the riders, pinning it in place, potentially responsible for the premortem separation of the lower and upper body of the rider during the impact. Various talismans and trinkets that may have been loosely attached to the chariot are scattered in the surrounding area, with items injected as far as 0.4m into the subsoil and >500m from the crash site due to the force of impact.
The riders and horses are in a similar state of dissassembly. The remains of the horses, attached to the preserved remnants of the leads, are estimated to have been fifteen to sixteen hands tall in life. The torsos of the riders were found 100m from the crash site, wearing the remnants of pressure suits consistent with the design standards of NASA's G4C suit — used during Project Gemini — including gold-plated polycarbonate helmet visors and making extensive use of Mylar and other polyesters. One of the riders still holds a telescopic aluminum staff, on which hangs a sheet of nylon, believed to be the remnants of a flag. The assembly appears to have been extended prior to or during impact. Any design or pattern that was once on the flag has long since been bleached white by UV exposure.
Based on exposure to sunlight, rate of decay, and historical photographs/observations, SCP-8968 appears to have rested in its location in the northern quadrant of the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon for roughly seventy years. It is unknown exactly how the chariot came to be in its current resting place.