British School at Athens : Aerial Photographs

Description

The collection includes more than 30,000 aerial photographs of Greece, from flights made during 1943 to 1945 (all positives). The collection covers approximately 60% of the Greek mainland, with extensive coverage of the Ionian islands, limited coverage of Crete and the Cyclades, none of the Dodecanese. The scale of the original photographic prints ranges from 1:7,000 to 1:60,000, the majority having a scale of approximately 1:15,000. Some of these prints preserve the original allied photo interpretation notes written on the obverse.

History

During WWII Allied Forces carried out extensive photographic reconnaissance missions in the Mediterranean region, making use of aerial photographs to draw maps, control enemy positions and chart anti-aircraft artillery. These photographs (approximately fifty British tons) were to be destroyed when the Allied Headquarters in Italy was disbanded in 1945.

Fortunately the collection was saved, thanks to the intervention of the then Director of the Allied Monuments and Fine Arts Commission in Italy, the archaeologist John Ward-Perkins. He recognised the potential research value of this material, rescued the entire collection and subsequently divided it among the cultural institutions of the allied countries, namely the British School at Rome, the American Academy in Rome, the École Française de Rome and the British School at Athens, which received the photographs covering Greece. In the early 1950s this collection of aerial photographs was indexed by the then Assistant Director of the BSA, Sir John Boardman. During 2016-2017, thanks to generous funding from the Friends of the British School at Athens, researcher Gian Piero Milani completed a project to create a digital index of this collection. Flight paths and locations of each photograph (frame) have been mapped and linked to two interactive maps of Greece.

How to Use

The following interactive maps show the flight paths (photo coverage) and the locations of each photograph (frame).

Flight paths

To view flight paths: select sub-region from the drop-down check list on the right. This is linked to a second drop down list which displays flight path numbers covering that sub-region. To view individual flight paths: click on the dropdown list with the BSA identification (ID) number for each flight.

Photograph (Frame) locations (page might take a few seconds to load).

To view information about individual photographs, enlarge interactive map to clearly see the points. Click on point to display that photograph’s BSA ID numbers, co-ordinates and negative number.

Please note that for security reasons photographs cannot be previewed on line.

To study the collection: please contact the Library quoting the BSA ID number/s. The School owns two stereoscopes (2x, 4x) to aid interpretation of the photographic prints.