Letters: Elgin points

WHAT A nasty little arrogance Andrew Graham-Dixon displays in his attitude to the Greeks. He should follow his own advice and ponder human folly instead of imperiously advising other peoples to do so.

As for the Parthenon Marbles themselves, it is irrelevant whether they would have been in a worse condition had they stayed on the Parthenon. The point is they were removed. Therefore the question becomes, can the Greeks be "trusted" now to look after their own property, not whether they could in the past. Clearly neo-imperialists like Graham-Dixon and Michael Daley believe not, and that the British are better at it. But before they come to this conclusion it would be worth contemplating the decrepit state of most British gothic churches and cathedrals - hardly evidence there of British ability to care for and preserve ancient art.

MICHAEL PARASKOS

University of Hull

Scarborough, North Yorkshire