Theodor Wiegand (1864–1936) – His rocky road to archaeology
Theodor Wiegand – the famous excavator of Priene, Miletus and Didyma – began his career under unfavourable auspices. When he came to the DAI Athens, he was uncertain about his […]
DAI staff
DAI staff
Yannis Stinis (1914–2001) – A brief overview of the work of a painter and printmaker who worked with the German Archaeological Institute
Laborious and prolific painter Yannis Stinis (Athens, 1914–2001) (fig. 1) produced works that reveal his interest in the lively representation of the Greek landscape. Stinis was also a printmaker and […]
Otto Rubensohn and the excavations of the DAI in Paros (1898–1899)
On June 17, 1898, 125 years ago, a young Jewish German archaeologist arrived at Parikia, the capital of the island of Paros, after an exhausting 13-hour voyage from Piraeus. His […]
Eva-Maria Czakó (1918–2012) – the first and only female photographer at the DAI Athens
Eva-Maria Czakó (19.12.1918–16.6.2012) was the first and remains the only female photographer at the DAI Athens. When the Institute was reopened after the Second World War, she worked as a […]
The astronomer Johann Friedrich Julius Schmidt (1825-1884) and the DAI Athens
Among the holdings of the DAI Athens archive, there is a fragmented personal diary whose author had not been identified until recently, as the handwriting, a hastily written cursive script […]
Maria Tzannetaki (1925–2004) A Pillar of the Athens Department during the Emil Kunze years
While there is abundant information about former directors and aides of the Institute in comprehensive accounts of its history, in obituaries, and in Festschriften, things are very different for people […]
„Den kleinen Fredrich hatten wir als Bäuerin verkleidet …“ – Carnival at the DAI Athens 1896–1910
When Engelbert Drerup arrived in Athens in February 1896 after a tiring journey from Italy, he was immediately immersed in the boisterous greek Carnival activities underway at the DAI: “At […]
Otto Lüders (1844 – 1912) – the first director of the DAI Athens
When the Athens department of the DAI was formally founded in 1874, the philologist-turned-diplomat Otto Lüders was the first person to be appointed as its director, at the time called […]
Excavating the Kabireion near Thebes – it began as a winter tale … of sorts
On this day, 135 years ago, on the 20th of December 1887, the excavation of the Kabireion near Thebes in Boetia started by members of the DAI Athens and travel […]
Wilhelm Wilberg (1872–1956) and his family
Several members of the Wilberg family have been closely connected to the DAI Athens since its establishment in 1874, especially Karl Wilberg, an Athenian bookseller and consul, and his son, […]
Schliemann at the Lion Gate? – ‚Mykene 63‘ – a starting point for much more
The photograph known as ‚Mykene 63‘, which allegedly shows Heinrich Schliemann standing next to the famous Lion Gate of Mycenae, is undoubtedly one of the most renowned images kept in […]
Georgios Paraskevopoulos
In addition to Angelis Kosmopoulos who was among other things famous for his beard and fustanella, there was another Greek foreman who played an important part in the early excavations […]
Hildegund Gropengiesser (1928–2019)
Hildegund Gropengiesser (*Jan. 15th 1928, †June 16th 2019) was one of the first female German archeologists to participate actively in field campaigns in Greece. She witnessed the reopening of the […]
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890)
Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) and the DAI Athens Heinrich Schliemann, whose two-hundredth birthday was celebrated earlier this year (* Jan. 6, 1822; † Dec. 26, 1890), was important to the German […]
Angelis Kosmopoulos (c.1843–1937)
“Everyone who has ever been involved with the German Institute and its work knows this man” This entry is dedicated to Angelis Kosmopoulos, a Greek who helped shape the image […]
