Research
With its two departments, Classical Archaeology and Byzantine Archaeology, the Institute boasts a broad research profile spanning diverse chronological, thematic, and methodological areas. Reflecting the focus of Diamantis Panagiotopoulos' professorship on early Greek archaeoogy, our research scope extends from Bronze Age Crete through to the Byzantine Middle Ages. In terms of subject matter, the Institute cultivates both long-established fields of archaeological inquiry, such as the history of Classical and Byzantine art and architecture, and emergent areas of study, including landscape archaeology, cultural heritage research, and provenance research. Both historical and trans-historical questions feature prominently.
In keeping with the fine Heidelberg tradition, research within the Institute is characterised by a reflective openness to, and active participation in, the theoretical and thematic debates within the broader fields of the humanities and cultural studies, both nationally and internationally.
It is noteworthly that the Institute fosters both prehistoric archaeology, based solely on material remains, and historical archaeology, which engages with rich written sources. Ultimately, field-based archaeological approaches and those focused on (museum) artifacts are in productive dialogue with each other.
