Parthenon, Greece

Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens

Facilitating the work of Australian academics and students
Founded in 1980, the Institute’s mission is to support and promote research undertaken by Australian scholars and students into Hellenic culture within and beyond Greece.

About us

While much of its traditional focus has been on antiquity, the Institute’s activities extend to the modern day. Our researchers employ arts, social science and scientific methodologies within an Arts and Humanities orientation, with disciplinary coverage embracing archaeology, art history, classics, history, literature, religious studies, philosophy, and creative practices, among others.

 As one of nineteen foreign archaeological institutes in Greece, the AAIA is the formal liaison with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports for the acquisition of permits to undertake archaeological research and examine museum collections in Greece on behalf of Australian students and scholars. 

From our premises in Athens (AAIA-A), we offer accommodation, research and teaching space, and our Athens-based administrative team facilitates access to Greek sites and museums for our research community members. We also coordinate and host a range of events and activities in Athens throughout the year for our members, friends, and the public. 

The home of our specialist research library and main administrative offices is in the Vere Gordon Childe Centre at the University of Sydney (AAIA-S). From here, we coordinate a range of educational and public engagement opportunities across Australia and in Greece and host a number of events.

Our people

Tamar took up the position of Director in August 2023. She is a world expert on the interactions the ancient Greeks had with the cultures they came into contact around the Mediterranean during the Iron Age (c.1100-600 BCE). She holds degrees from Bryn Mawr College (BA), University College London (MA), and Oxford University (DPhil). She has over thirty years of fieldwork experience honed around the eastern Mediterranean and has overseen a variety of lab-based analytical studies to better understand the lived experiences of past peoples. Tamar leads on the strategic development of the AAIA. She is committed to expanding research and learning opportunities for students, early career researchers and established colleagues, and sharing the latest findings on the Hellenic world’s rich and diverse past with the wider public.

Stavros has been as our Deputy Director since 1996, and he served as Acting Director between 2016 and 2023. He holds BA and MA degrees from the University of Sydney and a DPhil from Oxford University. His research interests include the Greek world’s links with Lydia and the Achaemenid Empire, the archaeology of the northern Aegean during the Archaic and Classical periods, and the Early Iron Age Aegean. An extremely experienced field archaeologist, he currently co-directs the Zagora Archaeological Project (with Associate Professor Lesley Beaumont and Dr Paul Donnelly, both University of Sydney) and the Australian Paliochora Kythera Archaeological Survey with Dr Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory. Stavros oversees the AAIA’s educational, academic and public engagement programmes in Greece and the annual Gale Visiting Professorship schedule in Australia. He also coordinates our annual Bulletin.

AAIA-Athens

Lita has been with the AAIA since 2014. She holds degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Sydney (BA and MPhil) and La Trobe University (PhD). She is an active field archaeologist and researcher, and she has worked extensively in Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan. At the AAIA, Lita manages the Athens office and coordinates all fieldwork and museum study permits for Australian and New Zealand researchers and students. She also facilitates our collaborations with Greek-based institutions. In addition, she leads on the administrative arrangements for our educational and public engagement activities in Athens, and she manages our Hostel. 

Panagiota has been a part of the AAIA since 2019. She holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in English and Philosophy, and Human Resources Management, and she has previously worked with organisations affiliated with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in the undertaking of research and dissemination of ancient and modern Greek history and culture. She has also worked as a translator.  At the AAIA, she supports Lita in managing the Athens side of our operations, including correspondence, finances, and the delivery of our educational and public engagement activities in Athens.

AAIA-Sydney

Brett has worked at the AAIA since 2000. He holds BA and MA degrees in Archaeology from the University of Sydney as well as postgraduate degrees in Museum and Heritage Studies, He is an experienced field archaeologist with a particular interest in pre-Roman South Italy.  Brett is the administrative lynchpin for the AAIA’s national network of Friends groups, and he coordinates our Australia-based activities.


Our Events

AAIA Oxi Day event 2022 audience and speakers

The Australian Archoaelogical Institute at Athens has a lively events calendar, exploring the archaeology and culture of Greece, and celebrating Australia's links with Greece, both past and present. 


Fellowships, scholarships and bursaries

We provide a range of fellowships, scholarships and bursaries across Australia. Many are offered through our Institutional members such as universities or high schools while others are offered through the Societies of Friends located in each state.

If you are interested in such scholarships please contact your local Friends group or Institutional Member. The three scholarships offered via the Sydney headquarters of the Institute are listed below.

This Fellowship supports travel to Greece for research purposes by Australian postgraduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and academics from Australian universities. Scholars from the fields of Prehistoric and Classical Archaeology, History and Literature, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies who need to spend time for their research in Greece are eligible to apply. 

Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in Australia working/studying at an Australian university and must have a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours or equivalent qualifications. 

The value of the fellowship is A$15,000, plus a 20% discount on accommodation at the AAIA Hostel.

The Olwen Tudor Jones Scholarship for Archaeological Fieldwork in the Mediterranean was offered by the Society of Mediterranean Archaeology (SoMA) for the first time in 2001. 

In January 2002 the Council of SoMA voted to rename the scholarship in memory of Olwen Tudor Jones. Subsequently, after generous donations were received from Olwen's family and friends, a capital preserved trust was set up. It is this trust, subsequently augmented by funds raised from SoMA events that finances the annual scholarship.

The scholarship is offered to a University of Sydney student of archaeology, or associated field, of high academic achievement for the purpose of partially funding that student's travel costs to participate in fieldwork in the Mediterranean region. Preference is given to a student who will be working on a University of Sydney project, and to a student who has not previously participated in an archaeological project in the Mediterranean.

Recent global conditions have unfortunately meant that the scholarship was not offered 
From 2020, the global crisis related to the COVID-19 pandemic has limited travel and restricted fieldwork across the globe. Consequently, SoMA has postponed their next scholarship round until travel bans have been lifted and dig directors can start planning for their next field seasons. Follow the AAIA social media accounts and University of Sydney e-community notices for the call for applications in the future.

You are welcome to apply for the scholarship if participating in any excavation in the Mediterranean, especially as in some years there may be no active University of Sydney projects in the region. Please contact the AAIA if you would like advice on suitable field schools etc in your area of interest.

Olwen Tudor Jones Scholarship Honor Roll

  • 2019 – Amir Zaribaf, Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (University of Sydney and John Hopkins University)
  •  2018 – Vickie Tran, El Toll and Teixoneres Cave Complex, Spain (University Rovira)
  • 2018 – Olivia Cashmere, Thorikos Field Project, Greece (Belgian School at Athens)
  • 2017 – Sarah Gyngell, Nahal Ein Gev, Israel (The Hebrew University)
  • 2016 – Ellen Campbell, Keros Field School, Greece (McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge)
  • 2015 – Sareeta Zaid, Pintia Necropolis Program, Spain (ArcheoSpain)
  • 2014 – Hannah Morris, Zagora Archaeological Project, Greece (Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens and the University of Sydney)
  • 2013 – Kate McAllan, Zagora Archaeological Project, Greece (Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens and the University of Sydney)
  • 2012 – Lauren Morris, Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project, Cyprus (University of Sydney)
  • 2011 –  Elaine Lin, Tunzha Regional Archaeological Project, Bulgaria (University of  NSW and University of Michigan)
  • 2010 – Philipa Mott, Menorca Spain (Ecomuseum of Cape of Cavalleria)
  • 2009 – Eleanor Clarie Pitt, Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project, Cyprus (University of Sydney)
  • 2008 – Miriyan Kidson, Borders of Arabia Project, Jordan (University of Sydney)
  • 2007 – Louisa di Bartolomeo, Pompei Archaeological Research Program: Porta Stabia, Italy (Stanford University – University of Michigan)
  • 2007 – Kristen Mann, Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project, Cyprus (University of Sydney) and Southern Euoboean Exploration Project, Greece (Canadian Institute in Greece)
  • 2005 – Lily Withercombe-Taperel, Pompei Archaeological Research Program: Porta Stabia, Italy (Stanford University – University of Michigan)
  • 2004 – Alexandra Vaughn, Geece (Greek Ministry of Culture)
  • 2003 – Nicholas Vlachos
  • 2002 – Keryn Paul, Italy (University of Geneva)
  • 2001 – Cathy Hammond, Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project, Cyprus (University of Sydney)

This scholarship, generously funded by Mr Nikolaos Galatis of Adelaide, is open to students enrolled full-time in a Masters by Research or PhD degree at any Australian university which is an institutional member of the Institute. The area of research extends to all fields of Greek Studies up to 1453 CE and the scholarship supports travel either to Greece or a neighbouring country where there is relevant material/archives to the applicant’s research.

Please visit the University of Sydney Scholarship page for further information about this opportunity.

Our friends

Since 1982, our Institute has relied upon support from an Australia-wide network of Friends groups. Our Friends make significant contributions to the Institute in terms of its finances and also promote archaeology and Hellenic studies through their diverse activities.

President

Mr Angelo Hatsatouris OAM
c/- PO Box 320
Maroubra Junction 
Sydney NSW 2035

Mr Brian Cleary
c/- AAIA Athens Office
Zacharitsa 17, Koukaki
Athens 11741 Greece
P +30 (210) 924 3256

Follow on Facebook here.

President

Prof. Elizabeth Minchin. FAHA

The Canberra (ANU) 
Friends of the AAIA
c./ Prof. Elizabeth Minchin, FAHA
School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics, 
College of Arts & the Social Sciences
AD Hope Building (14) 
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200 Australia

President

Mr Chris Griffiths
PO Box 5047
Mt Gravatt East 4122

President

Spiros Sarris
Email: SpirosGS48@outlook.com
Mob: +61 404 145 455

Introducing the second AAIA Director, Professor Tamar Hodos

Theodora Gianniotis, Engagement and Outreach Officer, AAIA interviews incoming AAIA Director, Professor Tamar Hodos.

History of the AAIA

Emeritus Professor Alexander Cambitoglou, AO
Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, DUniv h.c.

From his arrival in Australia the late Professor Alexander Cambitoglou worked tirelessly to promote Australian research in Greece, beginning in 1967 with the establishment of the first Australian excavation in Greece at the Early Iron Age settlement of Zagora on the Aegean island of Andros. This pioneering endeavour was a collaboration between the Archaeological Society at Athens and the University of Sydney.

He was appointed the Arthur and Renee George Professor of Classical Archaeology in 1978 and retired from his chair in 1989. Perhaps the greatest legacy Professor Cambitoglou provided Australian students and scholars of Greek and related studies was the establishment of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens in 1980.

He continued as the Curator of the Nicholson Museum until December 2000 and retired from the position of the Institute’s Director in 2016.