I. Object of the Science of History

The object of the science of history is the study of the past. Study, which embraces every field of human action, such as politics, social life, economy, culture, everyday life, the relationship with the natural environment, at any time in the past. This study depends on the quantity, quality and type of sources (written, oral, audio-visual, etc.), available to the historian, as well as on the methods and analysis techniques he will use to approach them . The goal is the critical examination, as well as the global and multi-level understanding of what has happened in the past based on the questions and concerns raised by the current situation. The historical knowledge produced is judged and evaluated in the context of an open and fruitful dialogue within the historical community and with the wider public.

The Department of History of the Department of History and Archeology of EKPA aims to train historians in the entire temporal and thematic spectrum of Greek and world history, from antiquity to modern times. At the center of the studies provided is the familiarization of students with modern historical theoretical thinking and scientific research. The study of different periods is another goal of the program, which is not limited to History. It is supplemented with courses from both the Department of Archeology and Art History as well as from other Departments of the Faculty of Philosophy, with the aim of the multifaceted development of the student, -especially for those who will teach in Secondary Education-, as well as the familiarizing them with different approaches from the humanities and social sciences.

In recent years, the Department of History has seen a particular development of the historical course program, which covers a number of periods and subjects and provides students with solid methodological tools and substantial knowledge of Greek and world history. More specifically, the historical courses cover the following fields:

Theory and Methodology of History

Introduction to Historical Studies

Methodological problems of History

Introduction to World History

Ancient History

History of the Ancient Greek World

Roman History

Medieval-Byzantine History

Medieval History of the West

History of the Byzantine State

Early Modern History:

History of New Hellenism (from the 13th century to the Greek Revolution)

Recent European History (16th - 18th centuries)

History of the Ottoman Empire

Recent and Modern History, 19th - 21st centuries. (Greece, Europe, World): Recent and Modern Greek History (from the Greek Revolution to the present)

History of the Postwar World Recent and Modern European History (1789 to present)

The History major is one of the two specializations that students of the Department of History and Archeology can choose. Graduates with a historical specialization are firstly able to work in Secondary Education, where they can teach History and other philological subjects. A significant number of our graduates have successfully turned to other career options (cultural property management, journalism, publishing) in the public and private sectors, based on the resources they have acquired during their studies, synthetic and critical thinking, language proficiency, the multi-faceted and multi-prism study of political and social phenomena. Graduates of our Department, after postgraduate studies, teach in Greek and foreign higher educational institutions, while at the same time there is the possibility to work in specialized centers of historical research and knowledge production (archives, research centers, libraries, museums, etc.).

II. Object of the Scientific Fields of Archeology and Art History

1. Archaeology

The object of the science of Archeology is the study of the material culture of the past, with the aim of understanding and interpreting the economic, social, political and cultural structure of social groups. Through the study of ancient technology, craftsmanship and art and the ideological parameters that determine them, as well as all kinds of organic and inorganic remains related to human life, the archaeologist attempts to reconstruct the way of life and thinking of ancient societies . Archaeological research usually revolves around central thematic axes of human activity, such as: natural and cultural environment, social and political organization, religion and worship, public and private life, art, technology and aesthetics, economy and trade, war practices, burial customs , sports, fashion and clothing, etc. The teaching of Archeology at the Department of History and Archeology of EKPA focuses on the study of the methodology and history of archaeological research, the excavation method, the study of the beginnings of civilization in the Greek area and the surrounding areas, the study of classical civilization and its modern recruitment, as well as in the study of the various manifestations of Byzantine Art. Specifically, it specializes in the following cognitive subjects:

A. Prehistoric Archaeology:

The object of Prehistoric Archeology is the study of material culture and the organization of human societies from the appearance of man (2.5 million years) to the end of the Bronze Age (1100 BC), mainly in the region of the Greek-Aegean area and, more broadly, of the Eastern Mediterranean, and includes the following large chrono-cultural units:

1. Paleolithic and Mesolithic Age

2. Neolithic Age

3. Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age (Hellenic-Cycladic-Minoan-Mycenaean-Cypriot culture and island culture of the northeastern Aegean)

B. Classical Archaeology:

The object of Classical Archeology is the study of the material remains of human activity, from the end of the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, in the wider Mediterranean area. The discipline covers a wide range of activities, from locating, excavating and evaluating finds to studying the history of ancient art. The periods of antiquity that he studies are the following:

1. Early Times (Proto-Geometric and Geometric period)

2. Archaic Times

3. Classical Times

4. Hellenistic Times

5. Roman Times

C. Byzantine Archeology and Archeology of the Post-Byzantine Period:

The object of Byzantine Archeology is the study and interpretation of the material remains of human activity, including works of artistic creation of various branches, from the appearance of Christianity to the Fall of Constantinople. The object of the Archeology of the Post-Byzantine period is the study and interpretation of the monuments and generally all kinds of art objects from the Fall to the creation of the Greek State. The cognitive subject includes the following major periods:

1. Early Christian period

2. Byzantine period (Proto-Byzantine - Middle-Byzantine - Late-Byzantine)

3. Post-Byzantine

period Particular emphasis is placed on the general principles, methods and techniques of archaeological field research, mainly through the practical participation of students in the university excavation at Plasi Marathon, which is both educational and research.

The Department also offers courses in the Archeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Near East from the Bronze Age to the end of the Neo-Assyrian Period (609 BC).

D. In addition, Museology courses are offered, included in the direction of Archaeology, adapted to meet the needs of the entire Department by presenting different types of museums, inside and outside Greece, as well as their functions. Museology studies the history of museums and collections, their values ​​and role in society, their modes of organization and areas of operation, issues of ethics and good practice, and their varied activities. The courses offered aim to highlight the science of museology, the values ​​and interpretations of museums, museum objects and collections, as well as their relationship with people, as well as to familiarize students with museum pedagogies theories and practices.

E. History of Art

The History of Art as a subject examines the Art (Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Engraving, Decoration) of the Medieval West and Modern Times, as well as manifestations of Contemporary Art, all over the world. As a special scientific discipline, it was established in Germany during the second half of the 19th century and developed its own distinct methodological tools. Morphological/technological analysis and iconographic/iconological theory are among the most important approaches to works of art that have been widely applied and accepted. In the 20th century, after all, multiple interpretive tendencies appear in the History of Art connected to Psychoanalysis, Social Anthropology, Semiotics, Marxism, etc.

In the Department of History and Archeology of EKPA, the teaching of History of Art is specialized in the following techno-historical modules:

1. Art of the Renaissance
2. Baroque and Rococo art
3. Newer European Art - Modern Greek Art
4. Modern Art

Archaeological education and knowledge of the history of art form the basis of aesthetic and intellectual cultivation and mainly support and complete the historical perception. The knowledge of historical events and the evolution of spirit and ideas, as derived from the texts, objects of study by philologists and historians, is completed by the knowledge of the material remains of civilizations – object of study by archaeologists and art historians. The main professional direction of the archaeologist and art historian is to be absorbed into the State Archaeological Service, the aim of which is archaeological research and the protection of monuments (identification, discovery, study, conservation, promotion, legal protection and management of cultural goods ) as well as the organization of museums and exhibitions.

The contribution of archaeologists and art historians has always been decisive in the preservation and promotion of the historical and cultural character of the Greek area, with the rescue of ancient monuments and works of art, traditional settlements and the historical, in general, but also natural landscape within the in which man lived and acted. In this way, traffic and communication incentives are created with people from all over the world with multiple benefits, including financial ones.

Archaeologists and art historians are also employed in Higher Education and Research Institutions, as well as in private Museums and Collections. Finally, Secondary Education absorbs a large part of graduates of the Department of History and Archaeology.