HELLENIC MINISTRY OF CULTURE
DIRECTORATE OF BYZANTINE AND POST-BYZANTINE ANTIQUITIES

The Directorate of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities operate under the General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. It constitutes a public body playing a major role in the field of protection, study and promotion of the culture of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine period.

The Directorate consists of three departments, the Department of Archaeological Sites, Monuments and Research, the Department of Greek and Foreign Scientific Institutions, Organizations and International Affairs and the Department of Secretarial and Financial Support. The responsibilities of the first two departments exemplify the range of the activities the Directorate undertakes.

Specifically, the Directorate is responsible for the protection and management of monuments, archaeological sites, historical landscapes and all religious monuments that date from the 4th century A.D. till the year 1830 (foundation of the modern Greek state). The definition and declaration of archaeological zones and monuments, the supervision of archaeological fieldwork, and of the scientific study of the finds that this fieldwork produce as well as the publication of the results, the supervision of the archaeological study and of the restoration work on monuments and sites and of enhancement and promotion projects about those and their surrounding areas fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Archaeological Sites, Monuments and Research.

The Department of Greek and Foreign Scientific Institutions, Organizations and International Affairs is responsible for archaeological research and particularly the supervision of fieldwork and research projects that foreign and Greek institutions conduct in Greece, the foundation and supervision of Greek archaeological institutions abroad, the organization and implementation of archaeological missions overseas, in areas characterized by a strong Greek presence, the transnational collaboration on the protection and management of cultural heritage and on scientific and educational programs that promote knowledge of that heritage.

More recently, the Directorate has initiated and strongly promoted the implementation of numerous projects supported by the European Community that aim at a transnational and interregional economic, social and cultural cooperation and cohesion. These projects have multiple objectives, among which prime are the promotion of knowledge of the cultural heritage of the participating countries and regions and of cultural tourism, especially through the implementation of technologies such as the Internet and multimedia (“OIKOS II”, “MEET”, “The Living Castle Project”, “The ARCHI-MED Pilot Project”, “Mediterranean Gothic Architecture”, “Cultural Egnatia”, “The Egeria Project”).

Address: Bouboulinas 20-22, 10682 Athens, Greece
Tel: +30 210 8201643
Fax: +30 210 8201186
Email: protocol@dbmm.culture.gr
Url : www.culture.gr