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 name was Otto Rubensohn (1867–1964, fig. 1) and his mission … Read More
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 (›Kurrentschrift‹), is difficult to read. In early April 2022, Katharina … Read More
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 the Institute, right away I met Mr. Dörpfeld, Mr. Wolters, … Read More
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 the Sekretar (“Secretary”). He held this position only briefly, and … Read More
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 grant holders of the DAI. Little did they know that … Read More
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, Wilhelm, who served as Wilhelm Dörpfeld’s assistant on excavations. This … Read 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 the photographic archive of the DAI Athens. Since this year … Read More
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 of the DAI. However, his legacy is not nearly as … Read More
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 Athens Department of the DAI after WWII and was one … Read More
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 Archeological Institute in a particular way. When the Department in … Read More
