The French School at Athens (, EfA; ''Gallikí Scholí Athinón'') is one of the seventeen
foreign archaeological institutes operating in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.
History
Founded in 1846, the EfA is the oldest foreign institute in Athens. Its early foundation, still a source of considerable prestige, is to be seen culturally connected with French
philhellenism
Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron, Charles Nicolas Fabvier and Richard Church to a ...
and politically with the French East Mediterranean strategy of the time.
Facilities
It operates an active programme of research in all fields of Greek studies, but primarily in
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
,
epigraphy
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
and
Classical Studies
Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and their original languages ...
. The EfA conducts an extensive programme of scholarships and bursaries. Its library holds 80,000 volumes, 550,000 photographs and 35,000 maps.
Educational institution
Unlike most of the other foreign institutes, the EfA has a status more akin to a university graduate school than a simple research institute. Its formal status is referred to as an ''
'' in the French education system. Some of its sought-after scholarships are renewable for periods up to four years, providing students with the opportunity to conduct most or all of their PhD research in Athens.
Archaeological fieldwork
Since its foundation, the EFA has been involved in many important archaeological projects in Greece, including the
excavations
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
at
Philippi
Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...
,
Dikili Tash (both in
Greek Macedonia
Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...
),the
Samothrace temple complex
The Samothrace Temple Complex, known as the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (Modern Greek
Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the mo ...
and
Thasos
Thasos or Thassos (, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area.
The island has an area of 380 km2 and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate regiona ...
(in the
North Aegean
The North Aegean Region (, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the islands of the north-eastern Aegean Sea, called the North Aegean islands, except for Thasos an ...
),
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...
(
Central Greece),
Argos
Argos most often refers to:
* Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece
* Argus (Greek myth), several characters in Greek mythology
* Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer in the United Kingdom
Argos or ARGOS may also refer to:
Businesses
...
(
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
),
Delos
Delos (; ; ''Dêlos'', ''Dâlos''), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Though only in area, it is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. ...
(
Cyclades
The CYCLADES computer network () was a French research network created in the early 1970s. It was one of the pioneering networks experimenting with the concept of packet switching and, unlike the ARPANET, was explicitly designed to facilitate i ...
),
Malia and
Itanos
Itanos () is a municipal unit (demotike enoteta) of the municipality (demos) Siteia in the Lasithi regional unit, eastern Crete, Greece. A former municipality itself, it was included in Siteia as part of the 2011 local government reform. The muni ...
(
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
), as well as
Amathus
Amathus or Amathous () was an ancient city and one of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus until about 300 BC. Some of its remains can be seen today on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about east of Limassol and west of Larnaca. It ...
in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
.
Directors
*
Amédée Daveluy
Amédée is a French masculine forename. Notable people with the forename include:
Persons
* Amédée, stage name of Philippe de Chérisey (1923–1985), French writer, radio humorist, surrealist and actor
* Amédée Artus (1815–1892), French ...
1846-1867
*
Émile-Louis Burnouf
Émile-Louis Burnouf (; 26 August 1821, in Valognes – January 1907, in Paris) was a leading nineteenth-century Orientalist and racialist author of Aryanism. He was a professor at the ''faculté des lettres'' at Nancy University, then pr ...
1867-1875
*
Albert Dumont
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s
* Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street mar ...
1875-1878
*
Paul Foucart 1878-1890
*
Théophile Homolle
Jean Théophile Homolle (19 December 1848, Paris – 13 June 1925, Paris) was a French archaeologist and classical philologist.
Biography
From 1869 he studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, receiving his agrégation for history in 1 ...
1890-1903
*
Maurice Holleaux
Maurice Holleaux (15 April 1861 – 21 September 1932) was a 19th–20th-century French historian, archaeologist and epigrapher, a specialist of Ancient Greece.
Biography Années de formation
Admitted in the École normale supérieure in ...
1903-1912
*
Gustave Fougères
Gustave Fougères (24 April 1863, Baume-les-Dames (Doubs) – 7 December 1927, Paris, aged 64) was a French people, French archaeologist, spécialist of archaic Greece.
Biography
A student of the École normale supérieure, he joined the French ...
1913-1919
*
Charles Picard
Charles Picard (7 June 1883 – 15 December 1965) was a prominent Classical archaeologist and historian of ancient Greek art. He is best known for his multi-volume, monumental survey, ''Manuel d'archéologie grecque: La sculpture.'' Volume I (7 ...
1919-1925
*
Pierre Roussel 1925-1935
*
Robert Demangel
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
1936-1950
*
Georges Daux 1950-1969
*
Pierre Amandry Pierre Amandry was a French hellenist, especially interested in ancient Greece and its relationships with south-west Asia. He was born at Troyes on December 31, 1912, and died in Paris on February 21, 2006. A large part of his work was on the s ...
1969-1981
*
Olivier Picard 1981-1992
*
Roland Étienne
Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was milit ...
1992-2001
*
Dominique Mulliez 2002-2011
*
Alexandre Farnoux
Alexandre Farnoux is a French historian, a specialist on the Minoan civilisation and Delos.
Career
Alexandre Farnoux studied at the French School at Athens, he became director of this institute in September 2011.
He is professor of Greek ar ...
2011-2019
*
Véronique Chankowski
Véronique Chankowski ( Sablé; born in 1971) is a French historian. She is a specialist in the economic and social history of the ancient Greek world. She has served as the Director of the French School at Athens since 2019.
Biography
A graduate ...
2019-2023
Notable alumni
Many important archaeologists, classicists and epigraphers from France and elsewhere throughout a century and a half have been members of the EfA:
*
Alexandre Bertrand
Alexandre Louis Joseph Bertrand (11 June 1820 – 1902) was a French archaeologist born in Rennes.
Life
He was the son of physician Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand (1795-1831) and elder brother to mathematician Joseph Louis François ...
(1849)
*
Edmond About Edmond may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Edmond'' (play), a 1982 play by David Mamet
** ''Edmond'' (film), a 2005 film based on the 1982 play
* '' E.d.M.O.N.D'', a 2013 EP by Edmond Leung
* ''Edmond'', a 2016 play by Alexis Michalik
** ''E ...
(1851)
*
Numa-Denis Fustel de Coulanges
Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (; 18 March 1830 – 12 September 1889) was a French people, French historian.
Biography
Coulanges was born in Paris; he was of Breton people, Breton descent. After studying at the École Normale Supérieure, he a ...
(1853)
*
Léon Heuzey (1854)
*
Paul Vidal de la Blache
Paul Vidal de La Blache (, Pézenas, Hérault, 22 January 1845 – Tamaris-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 5 April 1918) was a French geographer. He is considered to be the founder of modern French geography and also the founder of the Fr ...
(1867)
*
Charles Diehl
Charles Diehl (; 19 January 1859 – 1 November 1944) was a French historian born in Strasbourg. He was a leading authority on Byzantine art and history.
Biography
He received his education at the École Normale Supérieure, and later taught c ...
(1883)
*
Victor Bérard
Victor Bérard (; Morez, 10 August 1864 – Paris, 13 November 1931) was a French diplomat and politician.
Today, he is still renowned for his works about Hellenistic studies and geography of the Odyssey
The locations mentioned in the narr ...
(1887)
*
Georges Daux (1920)
*
André Plassart (1922)
*
Louis Robert (1927)
*
Paul Lemerle
Paul Lemerle (; 22 April 1903 – 17 July 1989) was a French Byzantinist, born in Paris.
Biography
Lemerle taught at the '' École française d'Athènes'' (1931–1941), at the ''Faculté des Lettres'' of the University of Burgundy at Dijon (19 ...
(1931)
*
Ernest Will
Ernest Louis Georges Will (25 April 1913 – 24 September 1997) was a 20th-century French archaeologist and University professor, a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.
Biography
After he finished his secondary studies ...
(1935)
*
Jean Bousquet Jean Bousquet (9 May 1912, Bordeaux – 1 April 1996, aged 83) was a 20th-century French people, French Hellenistic period, Hellenist.
Biography
In 1931, Jean Bousquet was received "cacique" (first) at the admission competition of the École norm ...
(1936)
*
Maria Ludwika Bernhard
Maria Ludwika Bernhard (August 6, 1908 – 1998) was a Polish classical archaeologist and a specialist in Greek Art. During the German Occupation of Poland in World War II, Bernhard was living in Warsaw and was active in the Polish Resistanc ...
(1938)
*
Roland Martin (1938)
*
Jean Pouilloux (1945)
*
Jean Marcadé
Jean Marcadé (27 April 1920 – 28 December 2012Pierre Lévêque
Pierre Lévêque (; 11 August 1921, in Chambéry – 5 March 2004, in Paris) was a 20th-century French historian of ancient and Hellenistic Greece.
Biography
Training
The son of an engineer, he spent his youth in the port of Bordeaux. Read ...
(1947)
*
Jean Bingen (1952)
*
Edmond Lévy
Edmond Lévy (born 1934) is a French classical historian.
Biography
Originally a pupil of an École normale supérieure (promotion 1956), an aggregate of letters, he was also a pupil of École française d'Athènes, a school in Athens, Greece ...
(1963)
*
Michel Debidour (1972)
*
Jean-Yves Empereur
Jean-Yves Empereur (; born 1952) is a French archeologist. He studied classic literature in the University Paris IV Sorbonne ( DEA, CAPES, Agrégation de lettres in 1975, Doctorat in archeology in 1977).
He is a former member (since 1978) ...
(1978)
References
*G. Radet, ''L'histoire et l'œuvre de l'École française d'Athènes'' (''History and the Works of École française d'Athènes''),
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, 1901.
*R. Étienne et al., ''L'Espace grec. Cent cinquante ans de fouilles de l'École française d'Athènes'' (''Greek Space, A Hundred and Fifty Years of Excavation of the École française d'Athènes''), Fayard, 1996.
*E. Korka et al. (eds.): ''Foreign Archaeological Schools in Greece - 160 Years'', Athens, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 2006, p. 64-73.
External links
EfA WebsiteEfA Library Catalogue
{{Coord, 37, 58, 56, N, 23, 44, 16, E, source:google earth, display=title
Educational institutions established in 1846
Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Greece
1846 establishments in Greece