Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
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The German Archaeological Institute (, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of
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, ...
(and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.


Status, tasks and goals

The Institute comes under the umbrella of the
Federal Foreign Office The Federal Foreign Office (, ; abbreviated AA) is the Foreign minister, foreign ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, a federal agency (Germany), federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign policy and its relationship with ...
of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. (PDF) It has a legal right to academic self-administration but is also an important component of Germany's cultural, artistic, and foreign policy programmes. 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 by
co-option Co-option, also known as co-optation and sometimes spelt cooption or cooptation, is a term with three common meanings. It may refer to: 1) The process of adding members to an elite Social group, group at the discretion of members of the body, us ...
. Selection as a corresponding or 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 the
Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
are 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'').Das Deutsche Archäologische Institut auf einer Webseite des Auswärtigen Amtes
/ref> 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 the ''
Technisches Hilfswerk The (, (THW) , English: ''Federal Agency for Technical Relief'') is the federal Emergency management, civil protection organisation of Germany. It is legally part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany), Federal Ministry of the Inte ...
'', the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, and other partners. In crisis situations, it should provide mechanisms for the protection, maintenance, and salvage of artefacts and buildings. 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.


History


Foundation

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 the , focused on the material remains of ancient peoples, but they were
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
in approach. The first moves toward an archaeological organisation took place in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in the 1820s, with the establishment of the , 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-
Hyperborean In Greek mythology, the Hyperboreans (, ; ) were a mythical people who lived in the far northern part of the known world. Their name appears to derive from the Greek , "beyond Boreas" (the God of the north wind). Some scholars prefer a derivati ...
Society" to facilitate that collaboration are commemorated in the logo of the DAI, which depicts a Hyperborean
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
. On 2 January 1829, the archaeologist Eduard Gerhard, the
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n envoy
Christian Charles Josias von Bunsen Christian Charles Josias, Baron von Bunsen (; 25 August 1791 – 28 November 1860), was a German diplomat and scholar. He worked in the Papal States and England for a large part of his career. Life Early life Bunsen was born at Korbach, a ...
, the Hannoverian chargé d'affairs in Rome, August Kestner, the ''commissario della antichità''
Carlo Fea Carlo Fea (4 June 1753 — 18 March 1836) was an Italian archaeologist. Biography Born at Pigna, Liguria, Pigna, in Liguria, Fea studied law in Rome, receiving the degree of doctor of laws from the university of University of Rome La Sapienza ...
, and the Danish sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen (; sometimes given as Thorwaldsen; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish-Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor and medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–183 ...
announced the foundation of an ''Instituto di corrispondenza archeologica'' (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
for "institute of archaeological correspondence"). The founding event took place on 21 April 1829, the mythical foundation date of Rome. The Prussian crown prince Frederick William agreed to be the society's patron. The first president was the French ambassador to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas. Administration was entrusted to a board of secretaries, led by a General Secretary. Among the founding members were Otto Magnus von Stackelberg and Theodor Panofka. After de Blacas' death in 1839,
Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. ...
was 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 to
Classical Antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...
. 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''). The ''socii'' ("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 of Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes was particularly active in these early years. The ''membri'' were 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. The ''Bullettino degli Annali dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica'' was 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 the
Altes Museum The Altes Museum (English: ''Old Museum'') is a List of World Heritage Sites in Germany, listed building on the Museum Island in the Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin, Germany. Built between 1825 and 1830 by order of King Frederick Will ...
in Berlin, the institute's centre of gravity shifted to Berlin too. 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 the Revolutions of 1848–1849, after which only German members were allowed.


Imperial Institute (1871–1945)

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 the ''Kaiserlich Deutsches Archäologisches Institut'' (Imperial German Archaeological Institute). After becoming an Imperial Institute (''Reichsanstalt''), the DAI opened a second foreign base, the Athens 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 the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The Athenian Division was the second foreign research institute to be founded in Athens, after the French School, which was founded in 1846. The foundation of the Romano-Germanic Commission (RGK) in 1902 was due to changing academic frameworks. The influence of
historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
led to a shift in interest away from art historical and
philological Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
approaches 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 of
prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins   million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
and 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 the Imperial Limes Commission. As in Italy, it did not initially undertake its own excavations, busying itself with investigations at Aliso and
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
. 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–)

The
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
division was founded in 1955 and the
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
division in 1961. In 1967, the Commission for Ancient History and
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 ...
, 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 the Portuguese Directorate General for Cultural Heritage. The Sana'a Office in
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
was opened in 1978. The Commission for General and Comparative Archaeology (KAVA) was established in
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
in 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 the Iran-Iraq War in 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 in
Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
and
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, which had become possible following the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
. 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 in
Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
in 2007 under the umbrella of KAAK. The Beijing Office was established in 2009. The Baghdad office resumed archaeological excavations in
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
resumed in 2011, and in southern Iraq in 2015. Following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the Damascus Office shifted its base to
Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...
in
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, where it formed a close partnership with the German 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 the Yemeni Civil War in 2014, the Sana'a office's buildings in Sana'a were closed and its main focus has shifted to
Northeast Africa Northeast Africa, or Northeastern Africa, or Northern East Africa as it was known in the past, encompasses the countries of Africa situated in and around the Red Sea. The region is intermediate between North Africa and East Africa, and encompasses ...
, where it had been active since 2009. The Budapest research centre was set up in June 2016.


General Secretaries

* Alexander Conze (1887–1905) * Otto Puchstein (1905–1911) *
Hans Dragendorff Hans Dragendorff (15 October 1870 in Dorpat (Tartu), Estonia – 29 January 1941 in Freiburg, Germany) was a Baltic German scholar who introduced the first classification system for the type of Ancient Roman pottery known as Samian w ...
(1911–1922) * Gerhart Rodenwaldt (1922–1926)


Presidents

* Gerhart Rodenwaldt (1926–1932) *
Theodor Wiegand Theodor Wiegand (30 October 1864 – 19 December 1936) was a German archaeologist. Wiegand was born in Bendorf, Rhenish Prussia. He studied at the universities of Munich, Berlin, and Freiburg. In 1894 he worked under Wilhelm Dörpfeld at th ...
(1932–1936) * Martin Schede (1938–1945) * Carl Weickert (1947–1954) * Erich Boehringer (1954–1960) *
Kurt Bittel Kurt Bittel (born 5 July 1907 in Heidenheim an der Brenz, died 30 January 1991 in Heidenheim an der Brenz) was a German prehistorian. As president of the German Archaeological Institute (''Deutsches Archäologisches Institut'' - DAI) and excavato ...
(1960–1972) *
Werner Krämer Werner Krämer (23 January 1940 – 12 February 2010) was a German football player, who was a household name to the West German football audience under his nickname ''Eia Krämer''. He was born in Duisburg, Germany. Club career He scored 49 g ...
(1972–1980) * Edmund Buchner (1980–1988) * Helmut Kyrieleis (1988–2003) * Hermann Parzinger (2003–2008) *
Hans-Joachim Gehrke Hans-Joachim Gehrke, in full ''Hans-Joachim Günter Adolf Gehrke'', (born October 28, 1945, in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt) is a German historian of ancient and classical antiquity. He was president of the German Archaeological Institute from 2008 to ...
(2008–2011) * Friederike Fless (since 2011)


Structure and organisation

The German Archaeological Institute is headed by a president (since 2011, this is Friederike Fless, the first woman to hold the position), who is supported by a general secretary (since 2014, this is ). 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: * 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: * Christof Berns, Classical archaeology * Ruth Bielfeldt, Classical archaeology * Ulrike Fauerbach, Architectural history * Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, Ancient history * Barbara Helwing,
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin State Museums) are a group of institutions in Berlin, Germany, comprising seventeen museums in five clusters; several research institutes; libraries; and supporting facilities. They are overseen by the ...
,
Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin The Vorderasiatisches Museum (, ''Near East Museum'') is an archaeological museum in Berlin. It is in the basement of the south wing of the Pergamon Museum and has one of the world's largest collections of Southwest Asian art. 14 halls distrib ...
, Near Eastern archaeology * Lutz Käppel, Classical philology * Achim Lichtenberger, Classical archaeology * Angelika Lohwasser, Egyptology * Johannes Müller, Prehistory * Marcus Reuter, Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Roman provincial archaeology * Monika Trümper, Classical archaeology 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 the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum was an ''ex officio'' member 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 Andreas () is a name derived from the Greek noun ἀνήρ ''anēr'', with genitive ἀνδρός ''andros'', which means "man". See the article on Andrew for more information. The Scandinavian name is earliest attested as antreos in a runestone ...
, Axel Seemann and Josef Steiner.


Board of directors

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. * President: Friederike Fless * General secretary: Philipp von Rummel * Athens division: Katja Sporn * Istanbul division:
Felix Pirson Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
* Cairo division: Dietrich Raue * Madrid division: Dirce Marzoli * Rome division: Ortwin Dally, Speaker of the directors * Eurasian division: Svend Hansen * Eastern division: Margarete van Ess * Commission for ancient history and epigraphy: Christof Schuler * Commission for archaeology of non-European cultres: Jörg Linstädter * Römisch-Germanische Kommission: Kerstin P. Hofmann, acting speaker of the board


Divisions and foreign schools

The institute contains the following divisions based outside Germany. * Eurasian Division, Berlin; director: Svend Hansen; deputy: Mayke Wagner ** , Iran. Director: Judith Thomalsky ** Beijing Office, China. Director: Mayke Wagner * Eastern Division, Berlin. Director: Margarete van Ess; Deputy: Simone Mühl ** Damascus Office, Syria. Director: Claudia Bührig. ** Sana'a Office, Yemen. Director: Iris Gerlach ** Baghdad Office, Iraq. Acting director: Margarete van Ess. * Athens Division, Greece. Director: Katja Sporn, Deputy: Oliver Pilz * , Turkey. Director:
Felix Pirson Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
; Deputy: Moritz Kinzel * , Egypt. Director: Dietrich Raue; Deputy: Ralph Bodenstein * , Spain. Director: Dirce Marzoli; Deputy: Felix Arnold **Lisbon Office, Portugal, closed 1999. * , Italy. Director: Ortwin Dally; Deputy: Norbert Zimmermann The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology of the Holy Land in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
is simultaneously an office of the German Archaeological Institute. It is led by
Dieter Vieweger Dieter Vieweger, a Biblical scholar and Prehistoric Archaeologist, was born in Chemnitz, East Germany in 1958. He studied Theology (Old Testament Studies) and Prehistoric Archaeology in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. After that he held a number ...
, the current director for Jerusalem and
Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...
, who is also director of the Jerusalem section. The Amman section Brita Jansen.


Commissions

* in
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, directed by Kerstin P. Hofmann, includes the world's largest library for prehistoric archaeology. **
Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...
research centre (1984–2015) **
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
research centre at the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...
(since June 2016) * in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, directed by Christof Schuler; deputy is Rudolf Haensch * (KAAK), previously the Commission for General and Comparative Archaeology (KAVA), in
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, led by Jörg Linstädter **
Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...
research centre, led by Christina Franken 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

* Architecture unit (construction, reconstructions, research into the history of architecture): Katja Piesker * Scientific unit (anthropology/palaeopathology, archaeobotany, archaeozoology,
dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...
/
palaeoclimatology Paleoclimatology ( British spelling, palaeoclimatology) is the scientific study of climates predating the invention of meteorological instruments, when no direct measurement data were available. As instrumental records only span a tiny part of ...
): Ferran Antolín * Unit for Information Technology (academic IT, development of digital research environments): Reinhard Förtsch * Unit for heritage protection and site management: Rainer Komp Units and areas within the presidium: * Unit for technological development and databasing * Internal Communications: Sebastian Dobberstein * Press Office: Nicole Kehrer


Central offices

* Central administration * Publications, led by Peter Baumeister * Library, led by Henriette Senst * Central archive * Central Photo archive * Lepsius College


Publications

A full list of the publications of the Institute (journals, series, monographs) is accessible online. 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) * ' (Yearbook of the German Archaeological Institute, JdI) * ' (Archaeological Gazette, AA) * ''Archäologische Bibliographie'' (Archaeological Bibliography), print publication discontinued. * ''Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Abteilung Rom'' = (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'' = (Correspondence of the German Archaeological Institute, Istanbul Division, IstMitt) * (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 the ''Mitteilungen des Deutschen Instituts für Ägyptische Altertumskunde in Kairo'' (Correspondence of the German Institute for Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo) and the abbreviation was therefore MDIAAK.
Abkürzungen von Zeitschriften, Serien, Fachliteratur, Institutionen oder Begriffen zur Ägyptologie - Abkürzungen M
'' on ''kv5.de'', accessed on 7 August 2015.
* ''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 and
Turan Turan (; ; , , ) is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical region, or a culture. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of th ...
, 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) * ' (Report of the Romano-Germanic Commission, BerRGK) * ' (Germania: Gazette of the Romano-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute, Germania) * ''
Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
. 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

The German Archaeological Institute is supported financially by a charitable organisation, the (TWG).


Notable members

* Klaus Schmidt, German archaeologist and pre-historian who led the excavations at Göbekli Tepe from 1996 to 2014 *
Eszter Bánffy Eszter Bánffy, (born 1957) is a Hungarian prehistorian, archaeologist, and academic. Since 2013, she has been Director of the Romano-Germanic Commission at the German Archaeological Institute. She is also a professor at the Archaeological Ins ...
, Hungarian prehistorian and archaeologist * Yevhen Chernenko, Ukrainian archaeologist *
Elisabeth Ettlinger Elisabeth Ettlinger, ( Lachmann; 14 July 1915 – 21 March 2012) was a German-born archaeologist and academic, who specialised in archaeology of the Roman provinces and Roman Switzerland. Career Ettlinger completed her doctorate in 1942 at th ...
, Swiss archaeologist of the Roman provinces * D. E. L. Haynes, English classical scholar, archaeologist and museum curator * Nikolaos Kaltsas, Greek classical archaeologist * Jürgen Oldenstein, German archaeologist of the Roman provinces *
Emmanouil Korres Emmanouil Korres (Greek language, Greek: Εμμανουήλ Κορρές, born 1948) is a major Greeks, Greek Building restoration, restoration architect, civil engineer and professor of History of architecture, architectural history at postgrad ...
, Greek restoration architect and archaeologist *
Paul Wittek Paul Wittek (11 January 1894 – 13 June 1978) was an Austrian Orientalist and historian. His 1938 thesis on the rise of the Ottoman Empire, known as the '' ghazi thesis'', argues that the driving force behind Ottoman state-building was the expa ...
, Austrian orientalist who formulated an influential theory of Ottoman origins


See also

*
German Historical Institute The German Historical Institutes (GHI), , (''DHI'') are six independent academic research institutes of the Max Weber Foundation dedicated to the study of historical relations between Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germ ...
*
German Archaeological Institute at Athens The German Archaeological Institute at Athens (; ) is one of the 19 foreign archaeological institutes operating in Athens, Greece. General information, history, facilities The Athens department was the second department founded by the institu ...
* Projekt Dyabola * Arachne (archaeological database)


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


External links


Official Website
*
''Die 100-Jahr-Feier des Archäologischen Instituts des Deutschen Reiches''
In: ''Zeitbilder'', 21. April 1929, pp. 2–4. {{Authority control Archaeological research institutes in Germany Educational institutions established in 1832 1832 establishments in the German Confederation Scientific organizations established in the 1830s Research institutes in Berlin