During its 191 years of operation, the Greek archaeological service has ensured the discovery, salvaging, safekeeping, conservation, promotion, study, publication and museum exhibition of countless ancient, Byzantine and contemporary mobile monuments, the creation of collections and the construction of museum buildings, while the overall management of archaeological sites, from excavation and conservation-restoration to presentation to the general public has been and continues to be a priority for the archaeological community.
Researchers visiting the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations (HAAR) can find information on mobile antiquities and archaeological sites of the Prehistoric, Classical, Byzantine and post-Byzantine period, as well as on contemporary buildings and objects. The contents of the archive were treated in accordance with the principles of respect for provenance and original order of the material. With a view to maintaining the physical cohesion and the structure provided by the producer/body, all the archival material in question was divided into 8 sub-archives as follows:
Sub-archive of the General Ephorate of Antiquities
1834 - 1846
Sub-archive of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education
1846-1926
Sub-archive of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Education
1926-1960
Sub-archive of the Ministry of the Presidency of the Government
1960-1971
Sub-archive of the Ministry of Culture and Science
1971-1985
Sub-archive of the Ministry of Culture
1985-2009
Sub-archive of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
2009-2012
Sub-archive of Regional Antiquities Services
Ephorate of Antiquities of: the City of Athens, Phocis, Cyclades
The contents of the HAAR include registers concerning protocol, expenditure and document processing, internal correspondence sheets, payroll statements, attendance logs, registers, indexes, handwritten and typed documents, catalogues of antiquities, colour, sepia and black-and-white photographs, slides, contacts, negatives, postcards, film canisters and videotapes, digital discs (CDs, DVDs), drawings, maps and sketches, books and reprints, periodicals and newspapers, as well as a few replicas and personal belongings.
