The Directorate for the Curation of the National Archive of Monuments (DCNAM) is a Central Service of the Ministry of Culture, subordinate to the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, tasked with operating the National Archive of Monuments, the central repository of the Greek state for monuments throughout Greece.
The purpose of the National Archive of Monuments is to preserve documents, both in hard copy and digital, concerning the mobile and immovable monuments of Greece, to enrich and manage them using any appropriate means and especially using digital technologies, as well as to disseminate them for the benefit of society by adopting open-access policies.
The National Archive of Monuments is composed of the Archaeological Cadastre, the Digital Collections of Mobile Monuments, and the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations. For each of the three distinct parts of the National Archive of Monuments, the DCNAM operates and updates the respective Management Information Systems (MIS) intended for use by the Services, as well as the Portals addressed to the public.
To this end, the DMNAM implements large programmes on a national scale, as well as smaller targeted collaborations to digitally record and document monuments, as well as increase and leverage digital content in general, and promotes the implementation of documentation standards.
The Directorate also handles issues related to the development and implementation of the Ministry’s digital policy in the field of cultural heritage, and is tasked with central oversight of the digital and web applications created by its Services. Finally, it receives the inactive and semi-active physical archives of Services and archaeologists of the Service, and ensures the preservation, study and promotion of archival materials.
Following the completion of the major projects for the implementation of the Management Information Systems, the Directorate for the Management of the National Archive of Monuments focused its efforts, on one hand, on presenting them to a specialised audience of scientists and managers of cultural heritage and, on the other, on educating users within the Ministry of Culture.
The third pillar of activity of the Service is collaborating with scientific and educational institutions to exchange know-how aiming at upgrading the systems and enriching the National Archive of Monuments.
A final major area of activity is providing geospatial data from the Archaeological Cadastre to Ministries and institutions.
Another area to which the Directorate attaches great importance is training users in the Management Information Systems. By leveraging the tools of distance learning, the Directorate carries out systematic training of Ministry employees and associates from museums and institutions of contemporary culture which have been granted the right to use the programme free of charge, in the framework of the Ministry’s policy for recording the cultural assets of Greece.
Finally, in the context of exchanging know-how and good practices, as well as implementing projects, the Directorate is an active participant in partnerships with scientific and research institutions in Greece and abroad.
Deputy Director: Maria-Xeni Garezou, archaeologist
The main task of the Department of Management of the National Archive of Monuments and Archaeological Cadastre is to ensure the implementation, proper operation and the continuous enrichment of the ‘Digital Collections of Mobile Monuments’ Management Information Systems for Mobile Monuments and the ‘Archaeological Cadastre’ for immovable monuments, archaeological and historical sites.
The Department is also responsible for developing scientific standards for recording and documentation, for codifying the relevant terminology, and for setting digitisation and digital management specifications on the basis of the applicable international standards. Finally, the Department issues recommendations on the licensing of images of archaeological content on the internet and in digital applications, pursuant to Article 46 of Law 4858/2021.
Staff
The Department of Management of the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations is responsible for classifying, recording, documenting, indexing, digitising, archiving and maintaining archival material based on the applicable international standards, so that it is freely accessible and usable by the Services, researchers and any interested party.
The Department is responsible for the proper operation and continuous enrichment of the Management Information System (MIS) of the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations.
Staff
The Department of Operational Support is responsible for providing secretarial support to the Directorate, handling and processing its financial obligations and issues, keeping archives and reference records, as well as staff issues.
Staff
