French School at Athens

French archaeological group

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June 26, 2026

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The French School at Athens is a French archaeological institution established in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 1846 and is one of several European schools set up in Athens after Greece became an independent kingdom in 1830. These schools served as international centers for archaeological studies, facilitating large-scale excavations not only in Greece but also throughout the eastern Mediterranean. The French School at Athens played a role in significant archaeological work, including excavations at the Apollonian shrines of Delos and Delphi. It is part of a tradition of specialized higher learning institutions in France known as grandes écoles.12

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Árgos
The French School at Athens conducted various excavations at Árgos before and after World War II, uncovering the remains of a temple of Apollo. On the lower ground their researches uncovered another temple site, as well as the site of what was in all probability the…
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The French School at Athens conducted various excavations at Árgos before and after World War II, uncovering the remains of a temple of Apollo. On the lower ground their researches uncovered another temple site, as well as the site of what was in all probability the…
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Thera
The earliest excavations by the French School at Athens (1869) uncovered a Middle Minoan, or Cycladic (c. 2000–c. 1570 bce), city beneath the pumice at the northern tip of Thirasía. Of even greater significance was the excavation begun by Marinatos during the 1960s south of Akrotíri village, which revealed a…
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The earliest excavations by the French School at Athens (1869) uncovered a Middle Minoan, or Cycladic (c. 2000–c. 1570 bce), city beneath the pumice at the northern tip of Thirasía. Of even greater significance was the excavation begun by Marinatos during the 1960s south of Akrotíri village, which revealed a…
Read More