The Digital Archives of Greek Civilization consist of a large collection of photographs, which was created in the 1960s’. Then, now Professor Emeritus of Byzantine History of A.U.TH., Theodoros Korres started capturing with his photographic lens monuments of Greek civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The organization (most of the times in collaboration with the School of Philology, AUTH) and the participation of Professor himself in many educational-research trips in Greece and mainly in Minor Asia throughout his career in the Department of History and Archaeology of A.U.TH., contributed decisively in increasing the sources for the Archives, which up till now exceeds 80.000 shots.

The large amount of the photographs originates from the use of digital cameras and the digitalization of previous slides.

The systematic editing of the Archives, with the basic stages of its organization according to the photographic subjects and its documentation, started in 2008 and continues till today. The above became possible because of the support of the Research Center of A.U.TH., which began during the rectorship of late John Antonopoulos and continues until the present rectorship of Pericles Mitkas.

In 2009 and with photographs of the Digital Archives of Greek Civilization, a bilingual (Greek-English) album titled Expressions of Constantinople. Three churches of exquisite beauty, dedicated to Hagia Sophia, Chora Monastery and Pammakaristos was published. Furthermore, the exhibition Travelling in Eastern Mediterranean through the Digital Archives of Greek Culture of Th. Korres (A.U.TH.) in the Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki, which was also the official participation of the museum at the Thessaloniki 5thBiennále of Contemporary Art (2015), relied on the Archives.

This website presents selected photos of more or lessknown monuments and sites of Constantinople andMinor Asia (special reference is made toCappadocia and Mount Sinai because of theirspecial character), which display the intense Greekpresence throughout the years.

With hopes that more and more co-workers will use the photographs of the Archives to their lessons but also contribute for its enrichment, I wish to all the students of the Department of History and Archaeology and to the visitors of our website pleasant journeys to the ancient Greek and Byzantine past.

Theodoros Korres