The Evening Standard recently reported that a set of chess pieces which were used as the basis for the wizard chess set in
Philosopher's Stone (the ones Harry & Ron play with in the Great Hall at Christmas) are to go on display at the
British Museum.
This is despite the fact that the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, has asked for them to be returned to their rightful home in Edinburgh, where they can be reunited with the rest of the set. They were originally discovered in the Outer Hebrides in the early 19th century, are "between 800 and 900 years old and made from walrus and whale ivory".
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Just as the Greek government wants the Elgin Marbles in London to be returned to Athens, Mr Salmond claims it is "unacceptable" for the British Museum to have 82 of the figures while the other 11 are in the National Museum of Scotland.
But the British Museum is refusing to back down and insists the chessmen are the highlight within the new Paul and Jill Ruddock Gallery of Medieval Europe.
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James Robinson, curator of the medieval collections, said of the chess pieces: "They act as the gateway for all the different themes. They speak about feudal society because all the orders in society - king, queen, bishop, infantryman - are there.
"But also we're showing the influences coming into Europe from the Islamic East. Chess is a game that comes to Europe through the Islamic countries of southern Spain and Sicily."
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A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "The Scottish government believes it is unacceptable that 11 Lewis Chessmen rest at the National Museum of Scotland while the other 82 remain in the British Museum and will continue to campaign for a reunited set of Lewis Chessmen in Scotland."