The Byzantine Institute and Dumbarton Oaks fieldwork records and papers, approximately 1925–2009
Finding Aid Browse Photographs Related Resources
This collection contains fieldwork records and papers produced by the staff of the Byzantine Institute and Dumbarton Oaks, as well as Thomas Whittemore and Paul Underwood, between the 1920s and 2000s. It is comprised of correspondence, minutes, financial records, logbooks, fieldwork notebooks, research notes, ground plans, maps, oversize drawings, tracings, paintings, photographs, films, newspaper clippings, and publication materials. The bulk of the collection spans the decades between the 1930s and 1980s, with the largest portion of materials relating to projects conducted at Hagia Sophia and Kariye Camii in Istanbul, as well as later projects in Turkey, Cyprus, and present-day Macedonia. The arrangement of this collection illustrates the early operations and development of the Byzantine Institute through Thomas Whittemore’s death in 1950, the Institute's dissolution in 1962, and the fieldwork operations supported by Dumbarton Oaks from the 1960s to 2000s. It also captures the administrative affairs and day-to-day fieldwork activities that centered on the conservation and restoration techniques employed by the fieldworkers.
Based on the method of creation, medium, and fieldwork order, the collection is divided into 2 main subgroups: Administrative Records and Fieldwork Papers. These subgroups are split into multiple series and the contents are arranged in chronological order (and alphabetical order, if the author’s name exists).
Access and Rights
Access to the collection is by appointment only. Schedule an appointment.
Materials produced by staff of the Byzantine Institute and Dumbarton Oaks are available for publication under a Creative Commons CC0 license. This collection does contain some materials not produced by staff of the Byzantine Institute or Dumbarton Oaks, which are subject to standard copyright restrictions. Request images.
Preferred citation: The Byzantine Institute and Dumbarton Oaks fieldwork records and papers, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC.
