In view of the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Athens Department of the German Archaeological Institute the project ›Anniversary 2024 – History of the Institute‹ was initiated.
It was in this context that we rediscovered a wealth of archival material and photographs of persons who were variously connected to the Institute. They were of different professions, ages and gender, some were only passing by shortly, while others were important participants in the Institute`s activities and yet again others shaped its course significantly.
Most were associated with the DAI Athens through their profession: many were archaeologists, philologists and architects holding leading positions or acting as senior and junior researchers, travel-grant-scholars, visiting researchers or guests from Greece, Germany and from all over the world. Others were employees working in the Department`s various branches, i.e. administrative staff, reception and house-keeping, the library, the photo archive (e.g. photographers and technical staff in the photo lab) as well as the excavation teams (e.g. technicians, illustrators, cooks etc.) of the numerous projects conducted by the Institute.
We are also dealing with official functionaries (mostly associated with the German Embassy in Athens) and, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century, educated visitors interested in Greek antiquity who participated in the journeys organized by the DAI through the Peloponnese, the Aegean islands as well as Troy and the shores of Asia Minor.
While the activities of these people remained mostly unpublished in the past, they are now presented in ›People of the DAI Athens‹ not only to demonstrate the dense network the DAI Athens created, but, more importantly, to illuminate life at the DAI through time.
For further information: Official website of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens
