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German Archaeological Institute

Coordinates:52°27′38.10″N13°18′1.27″E/ 52.4605833°N 13.3003528°E/52.4605833; 13.3003528
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Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
Logo of the German Archaeological Institute
Founder(s)Eduard Gerhard
Established1832;192 years ago(1832)
PresidentFriederike Fless
Budget€38 million[1]
Location
Berlin
,
GermanyGermany
Coordinates52°27′38.10″N13°18′1.27″E/ 52.4605833°N 13.3003528°E/52.4605833; 13.3003528
Websitedainst.org

TheGerman Archaeological Institute(German:Deutsches Archäologisches Institut,DAI) is a research institute in the field ofarchaeology(and other related fields).[2]The DAI is a "federal agency" under theFederal Foreign Office of Germany.[3][4]

Status, tasks and goals[edit]

The Institute comes under the umbrella of theFederal Foreign OfficeofGermany.[5]It has a legal right to academic self-administration[5]but is also an important component of Germany's cultural, artistic, and foreign policy programmes.[6]The DAI has often laid the groundwork for the establishment of interstate relationships. It maintains relationships with many academic organisations around the world. Its members include German archaeologists, German representatives of affiliated disciplines, and several important foreign researchers. It is not possible to apply for membership; it can only be received byco-option.Selection as acorrespondingor ordinary member is accordingly a special honour and mark of academic recognition. The DAI maintains research offices in many countries around the world and a number of commissions focussed on specific topics.

The DAI carries out archaeological and historical research worldwide and therefore often works with scholars of host countries and other international scholars. Traditionally, the Mediterranean region and theNear Eastare the main areas of activity, but since 1979, the institute's activities have transcended these regions and are carried out worldwide. The institute carries out excavations, expeditions, and other projects. Since 2009, the DAI has established "centres of excellence in research and teaching" in the context of the "Foreign Academic Policy Initiative" (Initiative Außenwissenschaftspolitik).[7]The institute is among the internationally recognised Top Research Institutes. To maintain this standard, the DAI receives special research from the Federal government's Genshagener Programme.

In 2019, it was decided to create a "KulturGutRetter-Mechanismus" under the leadership of the German Archaeology Institute in partnership with theTechnisches Hilfswerk,theRömisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum,and other partners.[8]In crisis situations, it should provide mechanisms for the protection, maintenance, and salvage of artefacts and buildings.[9]

It is a goal of the DAI to support deeper mutual understanding between cultures. It seeks to make a contribution to intercultural dialogue. Additionally, through altruistic research of other cultures and academic interaction with other nations, it is meant to contribute positively to Germany's reputation in the world.[10]

History[edit]

Foundation[edit]

Eduard Gerhard,the main founder.

The German Archaeological Institute was established in the early days of archaeology as a scholarly discipline. Even before its establishment, there were learned societies, like theAccademia Etrusca[de],focused on the material remains of ancient peoples, but they wereantiquarianin approach. The first moves toward an archaeological organisation took place inRomein the 1820s, with the establishment of theRoman Hyperboreans[de],a circle of European academics, artists, and diplomats. They realised that the new knowledge and artefacts then being discovered at an ever-accelerating rate required international academic collaboration. The early attempt to establish a "Roman-HyperboreanSociety "to facilitate that collaboration are commemorated in the logo of the DAI, which depicts a Hyperboreangriffin.On 2 January 1829, the archaeologistEduard Gerhard,thePrussianenvoyChristian Charles Josias von Bunsen,theHannoverianchargé d'affairs in Rome,August Kestner,thecommissario della antichitàCarlo Fea,and the Danish sculptorBertel Thorvaldsenannounced the foundation of anInstituto di corrispondenza archeologica(Italianfor "institute of archaeological correspondence" ). The founding event took place on 21 April 1829, the mythical foundation date of Rome. The Prussian crown princeFrederick Williamagreed to be the society's patron. The first president was the French ambassador toNaples,Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas.Administration was entrusted to a board of secretaries, led by a General Secretary. Among the founding members wereOtto Magnus von StackelbergandTheodor Panofka.After de Blacas' death in 1839,Klemens von Metternichwas appointed as president in 1841. After Metternich's death in 1859, political and social representation ceased to play an important role in the organisation.

Initially, the Institute's goal was to gather and publish all archaeological discoveries relating toClassical Antiquity.The focus was on Greek and Roman antiquities, but finds from Egypt and the Near East were not excluded. There were two types of membership: corresponding members (socii) and ordinary members (membri). Thesocii( "fellows" ) were intended to form a dense network covering the whole of Europe. They were served by sections in Italy, Germany, France, and England. The Paris section under the leadership ofHonoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luyneswas particularly active in these early years. Themembriwere a smaller group who undertook long-term duties and were obliged to produce academic contributions and to review publications. The basic distinction is retained to this day.

The foundation of the institute was a significant milestone for the professionalisation of archaeology. For the first time, efforts were made to gather and publish all archaeological finds, rather than focusing on the significance of individual monuments in isolation. TheBullettino degli Annali dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologicawas the first archaeological periodical, and created the possibility for new discoveries to be continually published. The creation of a large reading library, open to all researchers, was another new development. Along with this a continuously active research centre with public lectures and discussions was created for the first time. All of these innovations made the Roman institute a centre of archaeological research in Europe and a model for the later national institutes created in the Mediterranean and Near East.

When Eduard Gebhard left Rome in 1832, for theAltes Museumin Berlin, the institute's centre of gravity shifted to Berlin too.[11]Simultaneously, nationalist interests increased and the institute lost its international aspect. In 1836, the first modest buildings of the institute were erected in Rome on the land of the Prussian embassy. From 1842, the secretaries received salaries, the whole cost of which was taken over by the Prussian ministry of culture. The highest administrative organ, the central directorate, had several international members, until theRevolutions of 1848-1849,after which only German members were allowed.

Imperial Institute (1871–1945)[edit]

In 1871, the "Institute for Archaeological Correspondence" – as it was known at the time – formally became an organ of the Prussian state government. Three years later, it was renamed as theKaiserlich Deutsches Archäologisches Institut(Imperial German Archaeological Institute).[12]After becoming an Imperial Institute (Reichsanstalt), the DAI opened a second foreign base, theAthens Division,in 1874. Like the Roman division, the Athenian Division was tasked with recording and publishing artefacts. However, from the beginning, its focus was carrying out archaeological excavations and topographical surveys. The Roman Division did not undertake this kind of research until after theSecond World War.The Athenian Division was the second foreign research institute to be founded in Athens, after theFrench School,which was founded in 1846.

The foundation of the Romano-Germanic Commission (RGK) in 1902 was due to changing academic frameworks. The influence ofhistoricismled to a shift in interest away fromart historicalandphilologicalapproaches to archaeology towards empirical research of objects derived from archaeological excavations. The goal was to create an organisation, which would provide a home for the newer archaeological sub-disciplines ofprehistoryand Roman provincial archaeology. The RGK was intended to be the central hub of archaeological research in Germany, which had hitherto been undertaken by a range of local heritage associations, antiquarian societies, and theImperial Limes Commission.As in Italy, it did not initially undertake its own excavations, busying itself with investigations atAlisoandTrier.

On the hundredth anniversary of the DAI's establishment in 1929, it expanded further and took over existing structures elsewhere. In Egypt, the Cairo Division was established in this year, amalgamating several German predecessor organisations. In Turkey, the Istanbul Division was established, taking over projects and structures of the Berlin museums, which had been active in Asia Minor since the late 19th century. It was also planned to open a branch office in Madrid in 1929, but this did not actually take place until 1943.

Post-war history (1945–)[edit]

TheBaghdaddivision was founded in 1955 and theTehrandivision in 1961. In 1967, the Commission for Ancient History andEpigraphy,which had been established in 1955, was brought under the DAI's umbrella to facilitate the study of textual material recovered from archaeological excavations. The Lisbon division was founded in 1971 and subsequently closed in 1999, with its library passing under the control of thePortuguese Directorate General for Cultural Heritage.The Sana'a Office inYemenwas opened in 1978. The Commission for General and Comparative Archaeology (KAVA) was established inBonnin 1979; it was later redubbed the Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK). The Damascus Office was established in 1980. With the outbreak of theIran-Iraq Warin 1980, the Baghdad division's library and offices were largely relocated to Berlin and it ceased excavations, shifting its focus to heritage protection. The Eurasian Division was established in 1995, to pursue research inEastern EuropeandCentral Asia,which had become possible following thedissolution of the Soviet Union.The Tehran Office became part of the new division in 1996. The Damascus, Sana'a, and Baghdad Offices were placed under the control of a new Eastern Division, based at the DAI's headquarters in Berlin in 1996. The Ulaanbaatar research centre was founded inMongoliain 2007 under the umbrella of KAAK. The Beijing Office was established in 2009. The Baghdad office resumed archaeological excavations inIraqi Kurdistanresumed in 2011, and in southern Iraq in 2015. Following the outbreak of theSyrian Civil Warin 2011, the Damascus Office shifted its base toAmmaninJordan,where it formed a close partnership with theGerman Protestant Institute of Archaeology of the Holy Land(GPIA). Parts of the Damascus library were relocated to Berlin. The DAI and GPIA jointly established a new research centre in Amman in 2019, which has effectively subsumed the Damascus office. With the outbreak of theYemeni Civil Warin 2014, the Sana'a office's buildings in Sana'a were closed and its main focus has shifted toNortheast Africa,where it had been active since 2009. The Budapest research centre was set up in June 2016.

General Secretaries[edit]

Presidents[edit]

Structure and organisation[edit]

Wiegand House in Berlin-Dahlem, seat of the presidium of the DAI
Kurt-Bittel House, the new entrance area and central library of the DAI's Berlin Centre.

The German Archaeological Institute is headed by a president (since 2011, this isFriederike Fless,the first woman to hold the position), who is supported by a general secretary (since 2014, this isPhilipp von Rummel[de]). The secretary represents the president and supports them, particularly in matters of academic organisation and policy. The president is bound by the determinations of the central directorate.

The central directorate (Zentraldirektion) is the highest monitoring and decision-making body of the DAI. It determines the annual budget and academic programme, as well as making decisions about publications. It also chooses the president and the directors of the divisions and commissions. A new statue governing the role of the central directorate came into force on 1 October 2019, which specified in particular that employees of the DAI can no longer be members of the central directorate.

As of May 2023, the central directorate consisted of the following members:[17]

  • Ute Verstegen,chairman, Christian archaeology
  • Carola Metzner-Nebelsick,deputy chairman, Prehistory
  • Vito Cecere, Representative of the Foreign office
  • Christina Norwig, Representative of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research
Representatives of the various archaeological disciplines and affiliated topics from universities, museums, and other academic institutions

The president, general secretary, and speaker of the directors of the DAI participate in meetings of the central directorate in an advisory capacity.

Until the introduction of a new statute on 1 January 2005, classical archaeology had even more representation in the directorate, since they supplied ten of the subject representatives on the directorate, with only one seat for representatives of other subjects. Until 2005, the general secretary of theRömisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseumwas anex officiomember of the directorate.

The central directorate is responsible for the award of scholarships, except for those awarded by the commissions. The most important of these is the travel stipend of the DAI (Reisestipendium), which has been awarded annually since 1859. The members of the scholarship committee are Friederike Fless (chairwoman),Katja Sporn,Ruth Bielfeldt, Ulrike Fauerbach, Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, Lutz Käppel, Carola Metzner-Nebelsick und Monika Trümper.

The members of the heritage building committee are Ulrike Fauerbach (chairwoman), Friederike Fless, Philipp von Rummel,Katja Piesker,Steffen Laue,Klaus Nohlen,Andreas Schwarting,Axel Seemann and Josef Steiner.

Board of directors[edit]

The board of directors (Directorium) consists of the president, general secretary, and the directors of the divisions and commissions of the DAI. It is responsible for working out comprehensive academic plans, strategic objectives, and comprehensive organisational rules.[18]

Divisions and foreign schools[edit]

The institute contains the following divisions based outside Germany.[19][20]

TheGerman Protestant Institute of Archaeology of the Holy LandinJerusalemis simultaneously an office of the German Archaeological Institute. It is led byDieter Vieweger,the current director for Jerusalem andAmman,who is also director of the Jerusalem section. The Amman section Brita Jansen.

Commissions[edit]

The commissions have academic advisory boards, whose members previously served for an unlimited period of time, but now have a maximum term of ten years.

Cross-disciplinary units of the central organisation[edit]

Units and areas within the presidium:

  • Unit for technological development and databasing
  • Internal Communications: Sebastian Dobberstein
  • Press Office: Nicole Kehrer

Central offices[edit]

  • Central administration
  • Publications, led byPeter Baumeister
  • Library, led by Henriette Senst
  • Central archive
  • Central Photo archive
  • Lepsius College

Publications[edit]

A full list of the publications of the Institute (journals, series, monographs) is accessible online.[21]

The DAI produces some of the most important German archaeological journals (translated title and standard abbreviations in brackets):

  • Archäologie weltweit. Magazin des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts(Archaeology World Wide)[22]
  • Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts[de](Yearbook of the German Archaeological Institute, JdI)
  • Archäologischer Anzeiger[de](Archaeological Gazette, AA)
  • Archäologische Bibliographie(Archaeological Bibliography), print publication discontinued.
  • Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Rom=Römische Mitteilungen[de](Correspondence of the German Archaeological Institute, Rome Division, MDAI-RM)
  • Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Athen= Athenische Mitteilungen (Correspondence of the German Archaeological Institute, Athens Division, MDAI-AM)
  • Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Istanbul=Istanbuler Mitteilungen[de](Correspondence of the German Archaeological Institute, Istanbul Division, IstMitt)
  • Madrider Mitteilungen[de](Madrid Correspondence, MM)
  • Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Kairo(Correspondence of the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Division, MDAIK)
    • From 1930 until 1944, this was published in Berlin as theMitteilungen des Deutschen Instituts für Ägyptische Altertumskunde in Kairo(Correspondence of the German Institute for Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo) and the abbreviation was therefore MDIAAK.[23]
  • Sonderschrift des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Kairo(Special Publication of the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Division, SDAIK)
  • Sonderschrift des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Rom(Special Publication of the German Archaeological Institute, Rome Division, SDAIR)
  • Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan(Archaeological Correspondence from Iran andTuran,AMIT)
  • Baghdader Mitteilungen(Baghdad Correspondence, BaM), discontinued.
  • Damaszener Mitteilungen(Damascene Correspondence, DaM), discontinued.
  • Beiträge zur Allgemeinen und Vergleichenden Archäologie(Contributions to General and Comparative Archaeology, BAVA)
  • Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission[de](Report of the Romano-Germanic Commission, BerRGK)
  • Germania. Anzeiger der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts[de](Germania: Gazette of the Romano-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute, Germania)
  • Chiron.Mitteilungen der Kommission für Alte Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts(Chiron: Correspondence of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute, Chiron)
  • Eurasia Antiqua. Zeitschrift für Archäologie Eurasiens(Eurasia Antique: Journal for Archaeology of Eurasia, EurAnt)
  • Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie (Journal for Oriental Archaeology)

Charitable society[edit]

The German Archaeological Institute is supported financially by a charitable organisation, theTheodor Wiegand Gesellschaft[de](TWG).

Notable members[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Deutsches Archäologisches Institut".
  2. ^Deutsches Archäologisches InstitutArchived2011-10-04 at theWayback Machineretrieved 12:33GMT
  3. ^Deutsches Archäologisches InstitutArchived2015-09-07 at theWayback Machineretrieved 12:26GMT 2.10.11
  4. ^Federal Foreign Officeretrieved 12:47GMT 2.10.11
  5. ^ab"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2018-03-30.Retrieved2023-12-28.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)(PDF)
  6. ^Auswärtiges Amt."Deutsches Archäologisches Institut"(in German).Retrieved2022-06-12.
  7. ^Das Deutsche Archäologische Institut auf einer Webseite des Auswärtigen Amtes
  8. ^Auswärtiges Amt.""Wo Kultur zerstört wird, stirbt Menschlichkeit": Internationale Konferenz zum Schutz des Kulturerbes "(in German).Retrieved2020-11-19.
  9. ^"KulturGutRetter (KGR) – Ein Mechanismus zur schnellen Hilfe für Kulturerbe in Krisensituationen".Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-28.onArcHerNet,dem Netzwerk des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, 7 September 2020 (accessed on 20 November 2020).
  10. ^Das Deutsche Archäologische Institut on the website of the Foreign Office
  11. ^Deutsches Archäologisches InstitutArchived2011-10-04 at theWayback Machineretrieved 12:38GMT 2.10.11
  12. ^Archived(Date missing)at dainst.org(Error: unknown archive URL)
  13. ^Timeline of Hans-Joachim Gehrkeretrieved 16:08GMT 2.10.11
  14. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2021-03-05.Retrieved2023-12-28.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^Institut für Klassische ArchäologieArchived2012-04-15 at theWayback Machineretrieved 16:26GMT 2.10.11[dead link]
  16. ^"Prof. Dr. Friederike Fless".geschkult.fu-berlin.de.27 September 2006.Retrieved22 March2021.
  17. ^Membership of the Central Commission according to the website of the DAI.
  18. ^Mitglieder des Direktoriums auf der Website des DAI.
  19. ^"LOCATIONS Contact".dainst.org.Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2021.Retrieved22 March2021.
  20. ^ab"direktoren".dainst.org/.Archived fromthe originalon 31 October 2020.Retrieved22 March2021.
  21. ^"Publications of the DAI".Archivedfrom the original on 2016-06-16.
  22. ^"Archäologie Weltweit".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-06-16.
  23. ^Abkürzungen von Zeitschriften, Serien, Fachliteratur, Institutionen oder Begriffen zur Ägyptologie - Abkürzungen M.onkv5.de,accessed on 7 August 2015.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Michaelis, Adolf(1879).Geschichte des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 1829–1879.Berlin: Asher.
  • Rodenwaldt, Gerhart(1929).Archäologisches Institut des Deutschen Reiches 1829–1929.Berlin: de Gruyter.
  • Bittel, Kurt (1979),"Abteilung Istanbul",Beiträge zur Geschichte des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 1929 bis 1979,Mainz: Philipp von Zabern, pp. 65–91,ISBN3-8053-0396-3,archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-25
  • Das Deutsche Archäologische Institut. Geschichte und Dokumente.Mainz: von Zabern. 1979–1986.
  • Junker, Klaus(1997).Das Archäologische Institut des Deutschen Reiches zwischen Forschung und Politik: die Jahre 1929 bis 1945.Mainz: von Zabern.ISBN3-8053-2339-5.
  • Kehrer, Nicole, ed. (2019).Das Deutsche Archäologische Institut. Eine 190-jährige Geschichte = The German Archaeological Institute. A 190-year history.Berlin: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut.

External links[edit]

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