Athens Archaeology Festival: a One-Day Adventure Through History

The Athens Archaeology Festival (AAF) will return to the British School at Athens on Saturday, October 17, offering a free day of hands-on workshops and interactive activities designed to bring archaeology to life for visitors of all ages.

Held on World Archaeology Day, the second edition of the festival will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the British School at Athens in Kolonaki. The bilingual event, conducted in Greek and English, will give visitors an opportunity to explore how researchers investigate the ancient world, from archaeological excavations to museum collections and laboratory analysis.

The program will feature more than a dozen interactive stations covering topics including ancient textile production, archaeochemistry, stratigraphy and human skeletal analysis. Visitors will also be able to take part in a pottery reconstruction challenge, trying out techniques archaeologists use to study and piece together material remains.

Other activities will include Textile Corner, Flowers & Plants in the Ancient World, A Day in the Life of an Ancient Farmer and Bones Tales, alongside The Broken Pot Challenge.

Image courtesy of the Athens Archaeology Festival.

Festival founders Tulsi Parikh and Carlotta Gardner said the event aims to make archaeological research accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages and backgrounds, creating an inclusive environment where education and fun go hand in hand.

The festival also offers visitors the chance to meet researchers and specialists directly and learn about the methods they use to study the past. By bringing archaeological work beyond academic institutions and into a public setting, the event seeks to connect audiences with the research that shapes our understanding of the ancient world.

The Athens Archaeology Festival is an annual public engagement initiative dedicated to promoting Greek archaeology through interactive activities led by researchers and specialists.