The archive of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI) in Athens is one of a total of eleven archives that the DAI maintains at its locations in Germany and abroad. Together with the library, the photo library and the archaeological collection, it forms the renowned research infrastructure of the department in Athens.

Founded in 1874, the DAI Athens is the second oldest department of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut abroad, which has been operating as a federal institution within the portfolio of the Federal Foreign Office since that time - with only brief interruptions. Since its foundation, the core tasks of the DAI Athens have included research in all areas of Greek archaeology through excavations and surveys, the publication of the results and measures for the presentation and conservation of archaeological monuments. Furthermore, the DAI Athens coordinates all research projects in ancient history of German scientists and universities in Greece.

The archive is located in the historic institute building in the center of Athens, which was built in 1888 with funding from Heinrich Schliemann and according to plans by Ernst Ziller and Wilhelm Dörpfeld in the neoclassical style. Through the written and graphic documentation of finds and discoveries, the editorial work and the early use of photography in field research and monument preservation, the systematic formation of the holdings and material collections began at this time, most of which served as research apparatus for employees and affiliated researchers from the early years onwards. The first war-related closure took place in 1916, during which the entire institute was confiscated and inaccessible until 1920. After the withdrawal of German troops from Athens in October 1944, the institute was closed again and administered by the Greek state until its reopening in 1951. The final restitution of the building, including its holdings and inventory, to the German state took place gradually in the 1950s. 

With the exception of the photo library, which is managed independently, the archive is now divided into the following groups of holdings: old records/institute files, drawing and plan archive, map collection, aerial photograph archive, positive collection, bequests and excavation and project archives. These holdings mainly extend from the beginnings of the Athens Department in 1874 to the present day, but also include some earlier material. The core holdings are the excavation and project archives of the large, cross-generational field research projects in Olympia, Tiryns, the Kerameikos of Athens, Samos and Kalapodi, as well as smaller older or more recent completed or ongoing projects. It also includes historical collections and compilations of images, maps and drawings that were created or acquired in the department in earlier times as part of specific research and publication projects.

Today, the archive is responsible for the documents created, accumulated and acquired in the Athens department, specifically from the work areas of the director's office, administration, editorial office, photo library and library. Acquired documents also include private and scientific bequests and estates of German and Greek scientists and personalities that are of particular relevance to the work area, the scientific profile of the department and the history of the institute. Some holdings have a registry function. 

The collections are conserved, stored, indexed and digitized in accordance with current international standards so that they remain secure for the future and can be made available for research. In recent years, work has focused on optimizing the preservation of the holdings and making them available online as part of various projects, such as the recent ARCHAthen and ATHErhalt projects. The archive is open to the public and attaches great importance to an open access policy. Finding aids and holdings that have already been digitized can be found on the platforms iDAI.objects and iDAI.archives, which are part of the institute's own digital portal iDAI.world.

Holdings of the archives of Deutsches Archäologisches Institut in Athens on Archivportal-D.

Contact information

Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Athens
Fidiou 1
10678 Athens
Greece

Phone: +30 210 3307405

E-Mail: archiv.athen [at] dainst.de (archiv[dot]athen[at]dainst[dot]de) 

Website: https://www.dainst.org/athen/archiv