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Timeline

Milestones in the history of the National Archive of Monuments from 1977 to the present day This section presents milestones in the history of the National Archive of Monuments from 1977 to the present day. The National Archive of Monuments was built gradually, with smaller and larger steps, mistakes and successes, gathering and preserving the physical semi-active Archive of the Archaeological Service and organising the transition of the recording and documentation of monuments to the digital age with visionary works of a nationwide scale.

1977

The Directorate of Monuments and Publications (DAMD) is established. With the Presidential Decree 941/1977, i.e. the first post-dictatorship organisation of the Ministry of Culture and Science, the Directorate of Monuments and Publications Archives (DAMD) is created, with the responsibility for “the collection and archival preservation for scientific study of all data relating to monuments of prehistoric and classical antiquities and to Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments, maintaining the archives of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Restoration and compiling the general index of the above,” as well as publishing articles related to antiquities and monuments.

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The Directorate was initially housed in offices at 10 Karytsi Square, and its first director was Evangelia Deilaki. The main concern of the legislator is, on the one hand, the preservation and protection of the “inactive” Archive of the Service, which has a dual administrative and scientific character, and on the other hand, the creation of an index of immovable monuments. The new Service has as its mission the collection and classification of scattered archives, as Deilaki points out in her official memorandum, “due to the specific subject… there are no time limits on the value of the Archive, which is useful for the history of monuments from the establishment of the Archaeological Service to the present day. It provides useful information not only for the Service in terms of its property, past expropriations, interventions, and the conservation or destruction of antiquities, but also for science and archaeological research itself”. During the initial period, the primary recording and indexing work focused on cataloging the newer monuments in Athens, Piraeus, and important residential complexes in the region.

The impetus for the creation of a central registry of monuments at the Ministry of Culture was indeed the shift in attention towards more recent monuments. On the one hand, because the Ministry owned significant urban properties in the historic center of Athens, which needed to be inventoried in order to protect them from encroachment and to use them to house its services and for broader cultural purposes. On the other hand, because the period of the Metapolitefsi coincided with renewed interest at both European and national level in the protection of architectural heritage, with the celebration Year of Architectural Heritage in 1975 and the subsequent signing of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Architectural Heritage (Granada 1985). In this context, the DAMD is organizing the aforementioned recording of newer buildings and complexes, “regardless of aesthetic value,” as noted in the memorandum by Deilaki and Theotokatos, with approximately 15,000 inventory cards and photographic documentation. As far as antiquities are concerned, some preliminary work was carried out on cataloguing and cartographic identification with the aim of producing updated archaeological maps for the entire territory.

1993

The Permanent Catalog of Declared Archaeological Sites and Monuments of Greece is published. The first efforts to create a central digital archive of monuments, called POLEMON, begin.

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In the 1990s, with Pando Pando as Director, DAMD underwent a radical reorganization. “Preliminary actions” were taken, as he himself described them, and the foundations were laid for the creation of a National Monuments Archive. In 1993, the first paper edition of the Permanent Catalog of Declared Archaeological Sites and Monuments of Greece is published. Its 120 volumes included all the administrative acts of declaration/designation of monuments by the Ministry of Culture published in the Government Gazette, as well as the demarcation of protection zones A and B in archaeological sites outside city plans or the boundaries of legally existing settlements.

Similarly, a Permanent Catalogue of declared movable cultural assets of Greece was compiled, which included post-Byzantine and more recent movable monuments, dating from after 1830. In this way, the declarations are now accessible for the first time in a single codification, providing an extremely useful tool for the Ministry’s services responsible for the protection of monuments.

During the same period, between 1993 and 1997, the first information system was designed to establish a central, unified, and integrated system for recording, documenting, management, and promotion of movable monuments, called POLEMON. The core of the National Monuments Archive’s Thesaurus of Terms was also created as part of POLEMON.

The task of recording immovable and movable monuments in the country was carried out by the Ephorates of Antiquities and Museums. As is well known, the collection and recording of antiquities is linked from the outset to the organized effort of the newly founded state to protect its “heritage,” the establishment of the Archaeological Service, and the founding of the first museums. The records and archives are organized on a decentralized basis in direct connection with archaeological field research and the work of protection in general. The organizational structure of the Archaeological Service, the parallel operation until 1965 of a separate Directorate of Restoration and Ecclesiastical Architecture, as well as successive national upheavals and the resulting lack of resources, are some of the reasons for the absence of a central monument archive.

As pointed out by the Honorary Director of the National Monuments Archive and its founder, Pandos Pandos, the absence of a central monument archive in our country has contributed to the fact that immovable monuments dating back to 1453 AD are automatically protected. As such, their registration in an official register was not considered imperative, unlike the systematic indexing, as far as possible, of ancient movable cultural assets, which aimed to combat antiquities trafficking and prevent illegal trafficking. He himself associates the origins of the National Monuments Archive with the extension of protection during the interwar period to the older “historical and artistic monuments” and “churches,” as well as the declarations of “preserved archaeological and historical sites.” As he notes, “the list resolved in advance any disputes regarding the inclusion or exclusion of a monument or work in the protective provisions of the law. The use of the list was obvious, especially in criminal cases.” This was preceded by efforts to record those found in monasteries, churches, and other public, municipal, and community institutions of Byzantine and Medieval art, which are owned by the state. After the war, Law 1469/1950 “On the protection of special categories of buildings and works of art dating from after 1830” (Government Gazette 169/A/7.8.1950), the protection of newer monuments was also established in Greece. The designation process is thus expanded to include movable objects requiring special state protection (“paintings, sculptures, architectural works and works of advanced craftsmanship or valuable folk art”) and immovable monuments (“artistic and historical monuments and buildings”), as well as historical sites and places of natural beauty. Publication in the Government Gazette serves as a tool for protection.

1996

The DAMD is moving to the building at 11 Asomaton Street, next to the ancient Kerameikos.

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The problem of finding permanent accommodation for the Service and the Archive in suitable premises was partially resolved at the end of 1996, when, after various vicissitudes, the DDAM moved from its offices in Karytsi Square to the building at 11 Agion Asomaton Street. The new offices and large spaces provided the opportunity to develop new programs and activities.

The property, along with others in the same and neighboring blocks, was originally expropriated in the 1970s for the expansion of the excavation of ancient Kerameikos. However, times and priorities change, and many of the buildings that were destined for demolition, including that of Asomaton, are now considered worthy of preservation and are being saved. In 1993, in the autopsy report of the Directorate of Cultural Buildings and Restoration of Modern Monuments, the building is described as a four-story building with a basement on the front and a fifth floor in a recess, a characteristic polygonal floor plan with parallel spaces, and a very interesting facade with neoclassical morphological elements without symmetry in the window frames. Its mixed construction is also noteworthy, i.e., load-bearing masonry and reinforced concrete in the stairwell and floors. Subsequently, following the unanimous opinion of the KSNM, a Ministerial Decision was issued designating the building at 11 Ag. Asomaton Street as a work of art, because it is one of the first multi-storey buildings in Greece, with remarkable neoclassical elements on its façade (Government Gazette 254/B/8-4-1994). The building was initially renovated for museum use, but the plan to establish a “Mother Museum” did not proceed, and so it was transferred to the DAMD. In addition to offices, part of the Archaeological Service Archive was also transferred there.

Since its establishment in 1834, the Archaeological Service, which initially operated as the Office of Antiquities within the Ministry of Ecclesiastical and Public Education, has created a rich archive of documents, drawings, and photographs, which constitute invaluable evidence not only for archaeological but also for historical research. The research and scientific exploitation of this rich material remained for decades a desideratum of archaeologists in Greece, as due to successive changes and “relocations” of the Archaeological Service, it remained inaccessible to researchers for many years. To mention only the “relocations” in recent years, in 1958, the Archaeological Service, under the Ministry of the Presidency, was transferred to the annexes of the Byzantine Museum (where the War Museum is located today). In 1971, with the establishment of the Ministry of Culture, it was moved to 12 Aristidou Street, while its old archive was moved to the basement of the National Archaeological Museum (EAM).

In a 1978 report, Evangelia Deilaki refers to the poor storage conditions in the basement of the EAM, in an inadequate room that shares an entrance with the pottery storage rooms, making it impossible to work on and process it. In 1981, the inactive archive of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Restoration (GDAA) of the Ministry of the Presidency was handed over for safekeeping to the Archaeological Society and the National Archaeological Museum. Based on the handover and receipt protocol, 273 or 277 paper boxes and envelopes were handed over “for safekeeping.” In 1988, the DAMD conducted its first autopsy of the inactive archive of the Archaeological Service, which was located in the basement and corridors of the EAM National Archaeological Museum. A total of 160 of the 273/277 original boxes were found and identified in three wooden cupboards. The autopsy report describes that the boxes were in poor condition, in some cases completely disintegrated, with the labels erased and the material scattered.

Although the building at 11 Asomaton Street is not suitable for housing and storing sensitive archives, 1997 can be considered the beginning of the fulfillment of the long-standing request to organize the inactive archives of the Archaeological Service. This marked the completion of the first phase of sorting the inactive archives of the Ministry of Culture and the agencies under its supervision (after 1971), which had been boxed up by the Directorate during the transfer of the Ministry of Culture’s headquarters from Aristidou Street to Bouboulinas Street and is stored in the basement of 11 Asomaton Street.

In 1999, at least six gradual transfers of boxes containing part of the archive were carried out from the basement of the EAM to the Asomaton building. The historical archive covering the years 1834-1945 was found in piles of loose documents whose order and sequence had been disrupted. In this state, it was received and catalogued, with the result that it is not possible to restore its original order and archival continuity. The part of the Archaeological Service’s archive that was not handed over (lists of provincial museums, excavation diaries, etc.) is still held by the EAM to this day.

1998

Greece’s Permanent List of Declared Archaeological Sites and Monuments is being digitised.

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The Permanent Catalogue is a digital database containing over 11,500 entries concerning the protection of approximately 19,000 monuments and archaeological sites.

The new digital catalogue, which will be updated until 2015, effectively supports the services in their work to protect monuments. It includes the regulations of the former Ministry of Spatial Planning and Public Works (YPEHODE), as well as the ministries with spatial jurisdiction, such as the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and the Ministry of the Aegean, for newer monuments. The Service’s experience in collecting and managing information was then applied to the design and organisation of the major Archaeological Cadastre project.

2000

The Historical Archive’s electronic recording begins, and the first local database is created.

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Electronic recording of the Archaeological Service’s historical archive began in the early 2000s. The archival material, which was gradually collected from 1997 onwards, required archiving and recording to make it manageable and accessible. The first significant steps were taken with the creation of a local database by A. Alexandri. During this initial phase of recording, DAMD participated in the “European Network of Cultural Heritage Laboratories (AREA I: Archives of European Archaeology)” consortium from 1999 to 2000. The workshop’s theme was ‘Archaeology and National Identity’. Using material from the historical archive, a study was written and published on the role of archaeology in shaping modern Greece.

Subsequently, in 2008, as part of the ‘Digitisation and Digital Documentation of Collections and Monuments of the Ministry of Culture’ project, selected documents — mainly papers, photographs, drawings and topographical maps from the 19th century — were recorded electronically in the database and digitised.

 

2002

The National Monuments Archive is enshrined in law.

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The new millennium saw a significant legislative milestone with the introduction of Law 3028, ‘On the Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage in General’ (Government Gazette 153/A/28.06.2002). Article 4 of this law established the National Monuments Archive. ‘Monuments are recorded, documented and registered in the National Monuments Archive, which is kept at the Ministry of Culture… The National Monuments Archive shall register, at least every three years, the findings of the inspection of the condition of each immovable monument carried out by the relevant Ministry of Culture service.”

2008

The project “Digitization and Digital Documentation of the Ministry of Culture’s Monument Collections” is being completed.

The Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations has found a permanent home at 22 Psaromiligou Street.

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The completion of the project ‘Digitisation and Digital Documentation of the Ministry of Culture’s Monument Collections’ is creating the infrastructure for the implementation of the Digital National Monument Archive, utilising new technologies. At the same time, the conditions are being created for the organisation of the Archaeological Service Archive and the fulfilment of its mission, including acquiring permanent and suitable premises and opening the archive to researchers and interested members of the public.

The project ‘Digitisation and Digital Documentation of the Ministry of Culture’s Monument Collections’, completed in 2008, was a continuation of POLEMON. It established the fundamental principles that still underpin the monument-centric nature of the National Monuments Archive today: the automatic assignment of a unique registration number and a decentralised structure and operational model involving a network of independent stations installed in local services and museums of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, coordinated by the DDEAM. Another innovation was the creation of bilingual terminology thesauri containing more than 20,000 terms to support recording and documentation. This scientific project began in the 1990s with POLYDEUKIS and evolved through subsequent projects, particularly the ‘Enrichment of the Digital Collections of Moving Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Sports’ project. The project’s value extends beyond the National Monuments Archive as it is a valuable tool for the Greek and international archaeological communities.

In 2008, the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations relocated permanently to its new premises at 22 Psaromiligou Street. Since then, the DDEAM had been looking for a suitable space to properly house and store its archives. The property on Psaromiligou Street was identified as a potential solution; it had previously housed the Stergiadou printing house and had also been expropriated for archaeological purposes in the 1970s. After the printing house was evicted, the Service of Cultural Buildings and Modern Monuments carried out a study based on specifications provided by the DDEAM to ensure that the building would meet the requirements for archival operations, including reception areas for researchers, an archive and a photographic laboratory. The building was restored between 2001 and 2008. The transfer of archive boxes from their various storage locations began at that time and continued for several years, followed by the laborious task of sorting them in their new ‘home’.

The completion of this special building, based on specifications set by the Service itself, and the transfer of the entire valuable archive, opened a new chapter in their preservation and the study of their contents. Many colleagues from various disciplines, including permanent and contract employees, worked tirelessly to rescue the archives and provide them with suitable storage, ensuring they would be handed down to future generations.

2009

Cooperation with Europeana begins.

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Through the first European programs, as well as cooperation with the National Documentation Center, small sections of the collections of the Ephorates of Antiquities and Museums of the Ministry of Culture are being digitized, and the material and metadata are being made available to the Europeana digital library.

During the five-year period 2006-2011, under the direction of Metaxia Tsipopoulou, participation in international programs provided the opportunity for collaboration and exchange of expertise with organizations that had extensive experience in digital documentation and management. The services of the Ministry of Culture and Sports are gradually becoming familiar with the processes of electronic documentation and digitization, common practices are being established, and international specifications and standards for digitization and electronic documentation are being adopted. During the same period, cooperation with European promotion networks is being further developed to showcase small digital collections from the Greek cultural heritage in Europeana.

europeana.eu

 

2013

The Digital Collections of Mobile Monuments project is part of the ESPA.

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In the early 2010s, amid a deep crisis, it became clear that the Ministry was in danger of missing the opportunity for the digital transformation of the National Monuments Archive. To address this problem, the Directorate for the Management of the National Monuments Archive was tasked with implementing two major digital projects funded by the ESPA: “Digital Collections of Movable Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Sports” and the “Archaeological Cadastre,” which will take the National Monuments Archive to a whole new level.

Under the successive leadership of Elena Kountouri, Vasso Papageorgiou, and Eugenia Gerousi, the Directorate undertook an unprecedented venture, fraught with challenges and adversities from both a scientific and administrative point of view.

The new information system was designed by archaeologist and IT specialist Alexandra Alexandri in collaboration with the Directorate’s staff, based on the principles of the previous project and the experience gained in the meantime from its implementation and application.

2015

The first phase of the Archaeological Cadastre project and the Integrated Information System of the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations are being completed.

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In 2015, the first stage of the major effort to create the Digital National Monuments Archive will be completed.

With the project “Managing Greece’s cultural heritage through the archives of the Archaeological Services: digitization and utilization of historical documents,” a total of 14,634 historical documents from the 19th and 20th centuries were digitized and digitally documented, both at the IAAA and at the Regional Services of Delphi, Cyclades, and Rhodes.

As part of the same project, the records in the electronic database were transferred to a new information system. The new information system of the IAA was presented to the public at a conference entitled “FROM MANUSCRIPT TO DIGITAL (RECORDING). The presentation of the information system for the documentation, management, and promotion of archival material of the Archaeological Services,” on the occasion of the celebration of World Archives Day on June 9, 2015.

As part of the completion of the first phase of the Archaeological Cadastre project in 2015, monuments, archaeological sites, and protection zones in the regional units of Attica and Boeotia were recorded and geospatially located.

2021

The Integrated Information System for Digital Collections of Movable Monuments is attributed to the Services of the Ministry of Culture.

The Integrated Information System for the Archaeological Cadastre is being completed and the Web GIS Portal is being made available to the public.

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The completion of the two digital projects, which are integral parts of the National Monuments Archive, significantly upgrades the level of promotion of cultural heritage in a way that highlights the exceptional wealth and timelessness of Greece’s cultural heritage. At the same time, it supports archaeological research, as well as other scientific research in new directions, such as the impact of climate change on cultural heritage. It also feeds the National Digital Cultural Content Repository (EKT) and international repositories, such as Europeana, with metadata on Greek cultural heritage. Finally, the interactive functions of the web portals are available for use by the educational community.

The project “Enrichment of the Digital Collections of Mobile Monuments of the Ministry of Culture and Sports” created a new Integrated Information System for the recording, documentation, and management of the cultural heritage of the country, which has been enriched with more than 680,000 new documents and continues to be enriched. At the same time, the National Monuments Archive network was expanded and upgraded in general. According to a decentralized plan, all those responsible for the protection of movable monuments of the Central, Regional, and Special Regional Services of the Ministry of Culture and Sports have graded access to the system in question, which enables full real-time monitoring of the state of preservation and location of monuments, together with their complete scientific documentation. In this way, the Services of the Ministry of Culture and Sports are provided with an absolutely necessary tool, designed according to their needs, for the effective protection of cultural heritage from natural and man-made factors and especially against loss, theft, and antiquities trafficking. At the same time, it offers the public its first access to a significant sample of Greece’s archaeological wealth, which is either exhibited in the country’s museums or kept in archaeological warehouses, thus enhancing the possibility of equal enjoyment of cultural heritage for citizens with physical disabilities.

With the “Archaeological Cadastre” project, the National Monuments Archive is expanding to include immovable monuments. To this end, an Integrated Information System is being created for the systematic recording, documentation, digitization, and management of archaeological, administrative, and geospatial data relating to the cultural heritage of the country and the immovable property of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Today, the Archaeological Cadastre includes more than 18,000 monuments, 3,800 archaeological sites and historical places, and 845 protection zones, contributing to the supervision and comprehensive protection of cultural heritage, supporting spatial planning, and providing reliable information on investments in areas with monuments, archaeological sites, and historical places, assisting in the rational management and utilization of public property, and promoting the digital transformation of public administration.

 

2022

The Archaeological Cadastre is honored at the Digital Governance Awards.

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The Directorate for the Curation of the National Archive of Monuments was honored at the 2021 Digital Governance Awards for its “Archaeological Cadastre” project, winning the award in the “Best Applied Idea” category in the thematic section “Education and Culture.” The award was presented by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, to the project team.

The Digital Governance Awards were presented for the first time to public sector bodies or civil servants and officials who designed or implemented pioneering applications during the period 2020 -2021 with the aim of digitally transforming public administration and improving the administrative environment in the country.

2022

The online portal of the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations is made available to the public.

Recording and documentation work begins in Tatoi.

2024

The digital infrastructure and services provided by the National Monuments Archive are being upgraded, as the National Monuments Archive’s information systems are being transferred to the government cloud (G-Cloud).

2024

The first detailed catalogues of the exhibits of the Archaeological Museums of Epirus are published in the series “The Exhibitions of Certified Museums”.

2024

The project to upgrade the Archaeological Cadastre is underway.