Gabriel Welter (1890–1954)

»Ein guter Archäologe und genialer Ausgräber, aber ein lässiger Bearbeiter«

Abstract

The archaeologist Gabriel Welter, whose achievements are hardly known today, had an almost unparalleled influence on the research history of the DAI and Greek archaeology in the first half of the 20th century. Using numerous archival documents, this article traces Welter's relationship with the DAI for the first time, considering the periods before, during and after his employment at the Zentraldirektion (now Zentrale) as Excavations Officer based in Athens (1928–1937). His scientific activities and ideas are also discussed, as well as his ambivalent role during the German occupation of Greece. Despite the necessarily fragmentary approach, the picture that emerges is one of a multifaceted personality who made numerous important contributions to Greek archaeology. For a variety of reasons, some of which were of his own making, he was only partially able to reap the fruits of his labor.