Institute for Mediterranean Studies

Centre of Maritime History

The Сentre of Maritime History (CMH) of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies – founded in 2017 by Professor Gelina Harlaftis and Dr Apostolos Delis – is the only research unit in Greece exclusively dedicated.
The research team of the Centre of Maritime History explores the history of the seas and more specifically focuses on the maritime history of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea from the ancient times to the present day. The Centre of Maritime History provides the resources for the training of young scholars and the production of academic work in the following broader fields:  a) economic and social maritime activities (seaborne trade, navigation, ports, shipping businesses, fishing, maritime communities, maritime labour, shipbuilding and maritime technology); b) geopolitics, war and violence at sea (maritime empires, naval forces, piracy); c) scientific activities related to the sea (oceanography, history of navigation); d) leisure and tourism related to the sea, e) maritime literature and arts. The means to promote these activities are through: 1) the location, preservation, classification, processing and divulgation of archival sources related to maritime history, 2) the publication of scholarly works in Greece and abroad, 3) the organization of seminars, conferences and postgraduate studies programs in collaboration with Greek and foreign universities and summer schools. Furthermore, the Centre of Maritime History materializes research projects funded from National and European funds and carries out research in Greek and foreign archives and libraries. The activities of the Centre of Maritime History are supported by the specialized maritime history library and archives of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies/FORTH.

People

Gelina Harlaftis

Gelina Harlaftis

Director of IMS-FORTH, Professor of Maritime History
Curriculum vitae
Apostolos Delis

Apostolos Delis

Principal Researcher
Curriculum vitae
Jordi Ibarz Gelabert

Jordi Ibarz Gelabert

Visiting professor
University of Barcelona
Maria Damilakou

Maria Damilakou

Assistant Professor
Ionian University
Matteo Barbano

Matteo Barbano

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Kostas Damianidis

Kostas Damianidis

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Katerina Galani

Katerina Galani

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Aristea Gratsea

Aristea Gratsea

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Ekin Mahmuzlu

Ekin Mahmuzlu

Postdoctoral researcher
Alexandra Papadopoulou

Alexandra Papadopoulou

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Anna Sydorenko

Anna Sydorenko

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Christos Tsakas

Christos Tsakas

Postdoctoral researcher
Kalliopi Vasilaki

Kalliopi Vasilaki

Postdoctoral researcher
Curriculum vitae
Ioannis Diamantopoulos

Ioannis Diamantopoulos

Ph.D. candidate
Department of History and Archaeology, University of Crete
Curriculum vitae
Angelos Drougoutis

Angelos Drougoutis

Ph.D. candidate
University of Crete
Curriculum vitae
Thomas Kalesios

Thomas Kalesios

Ph.D. candidate
Alkis Kapokakis

Alkis Kapokakis

Ph.D. candidate
Dimitra Kardakaris

Dimitra Kardakaris

Ph.D. candidate
Petros Kastrinakis

Petros Kastrinakis

Ph.D. candidate
Thanasis Nasiaras

Thanasis Nasiaras

Ph.D. candidate
Joyce Goggin

Joyce Goggin

Research Associate
University of Amsterdam [Universiteit van Amsterdam]
Curriculum vitae
Amalia Pappa

Amalia Pappa

Deputy Director of the General State Archives
Michaela Stergiopoulou

Michaela Stergiopoulou

Postgraduate Translator-Interpreter
Ionian University
Nikos Kastrinakis

Nikos Kastrinakis

Research Assistant

Research Projects

Black Sea (2012-2015)

The Black Sea and its port-cities, 1774-1914. Development, convergence and linkages with the global economy

The aim of the project was the identification, analysis and synthesis of the economic and social develοpment of 20 port-cities of the Black Sea that formed an integrated market that became the larger grain-exporting area in the world in the second half of the nineteenth century until the beginning of the twentieth century.

ARCHERS

A port in transition. The modernization of the port infrastructure of Thessaloniki in the early 20th century

The history of ports is a rapidly developing field of research that has attracted the interest of many researchers in recent years. Τhe port of Thessaloniki is a fertile and at the same time quite demanding field of research. Port activity has affected essentially the social, economic and spatial process of Thessaloniki over the centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century the city had become one of the most important commercial ports of the Ottoman Empire and later of the Greek state. Our research aims to study the infrastructure modernization of port during the first decades of the 20th century. The remodeling of the port at the beginning of the 20th century transformed its image and structure, reorganized its own space, increased its efficiency, optimized its transport dynamics, gained a new division of labor, and transformed a large part of the natural city ​​environment. Thus, in a sense, the study of the upgrading port infrastructure, based mainly, but not only, on the Historical Archive of Port of Thessaloniki, is an attempt to find out the interaction between technological development, economic growth and the natural environment. Finally, our aim is to make a contribution to the better understanding of the history of the city of Thessaloniki