Located on historic Kydathineon Street in one of the oldest and most prestigious precincts in Athens, this unassuming ediface houses one of the most important ethnological research centers in Greece. Collection of materials and informatin begun with the arrival of Asia Minor refugees on the Greek mainland following their tragic displacement in 1922.  Mrs. Melpo Logotheti-Merlier, a musicologist, interviewed refugees and collected traditional music, forming the foundation of her future center. Ethnolgoical information added to the growing bank of data, and in the 60's a legal foundation was established to house and preserve the historical collection.

The centre houses not only the collections of music and ethnic tradition originally amassed by Mrs. Logotheti-Merlier and subsequently acquired materials and works, but also the research journals and volumes produced regularly by leading scholars and historians under its aegis. Unfortunately, its collections do not contain genealogical information.

Its primary function today is as a research centre. Through the support of its foundation, this archival facility is able to remain open to the public and of course to qualified scholars for a limited number of hours daily. It has collaborated with a number of prestigious institutions in displaying materials from its collections; as one example, last year it had co-sponsored with the National History Museum a series of public lectures and a photographic retrospective on the Asia Minor refugees. Visitors and scholars may also purchase there publications produced or supported by the centre.

Centre Maine Page | Introduction | Historical Overview of the Centre | Orally Transmitted Materials
Pre-1922 Archives | Post-1922 Archives | Publications | Musical Folklore Archives | Contact the Centre

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HCS maintains a permanent, extensive archives of articles which readers are invited to browse. For more information about Smyrna or Asia Minor Greeks, see the webpages Smyrna and Asia Minor at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/smyrnaopener.html or the webpage located at http://www.helleniccomserve.com/archivesmyrnaasiaminor.html

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