The Repository with educational resources about Acropolis (http://repository.acropolis-education.gr) which was recently launched is a new and valuable source of information about Greece’s most significant archaeological site, for educators, students and the wider public. The repository was developed by the National Documentation Centre of Greece (EKT) and contains material collected by the Acropolis Information and Education Department during the project of the monuments’ restoration. It includes photos, videos, publications, leaflets, students’ assignments, digital applications and games, directories and reports related to Acropolis and its monuments. All content is open for everyone and it has been effectively categorized so that it can be searchable.

The repository is a modern source of knowledge and information about the most significant cultural and architectural artifact of Greek antiquity. Educational material is addressed to students, educators, teachers, parents, and visitors who can search for material of their interest according to their profile and specific educational needs. Teachers can find reference material and prepare their students for classroom study or a visit to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.

A range of resources, such as printable material, online applications, ebooks, films, leaflets, museum kits and backpacks enrich classroom learning before and after the Acropolis experience. Students will find reference material about the Acropolis and its monuments. Families and the general public can also search for useful information so that they can prepare a family visit and enhance their experience with knowledge.

Users may navigate and search through 300 entries of educational content. Each entry is carefully documented with metadata (author, lesson, educational level, subject, monument etc.), according to international standards. Principles of interoperability with international research infrastructures, libraries and repositories (e.g. Europeana) have guided the repository’s development.

The aim of the repository is to showcase the cultural and historical value of Acropolis and its monuments and enable the use and reuse of rich digital content by the country’s educational, research community and the general public.

Users may search the collection using various criteria such as Monument, Subject, Type, Education Level, or Typical Age Range. Also, may narrow their browsing to specific monuments such as The Athenian Acropolis, Parthenon, Erechtheion,,Athena Nike, Propylaia, The Acropolis slopes or enrich their understanding of particular subjects related to Acropolis’ Architecture, daily life, history, restoration, sculpture, religion/gods, daily life.

The result of a successfull collaboration between the National Documentation Centre of Greece and Acropolis Restoration Service

The repository was developed during 2011-12 by the National Documentation Centre of Greece (EKT), in the frame of the Centre’s collaboration with Acropolis Restoration Service (ΥΣΜΑ). The purpose was to contribute to the systematic documentation, presentation and distribution of the educational resources collected by YΣMA. The repository is hosted at EKT’s modern datacenter which exploits Cloud technologies to provide YΣMA with a series of functionalities and services such as the extraction of digital assets to applications of their choice, the long preservation of the content and validation of data interoperability.

The Acropolis’ repository creation and development was a result of EKT’s new services in the country’s cultural, educational and research community. SaaS services (services delivered according to the model of Software as a Service) are provided to the country's institutions that traditionally produce and manage cultural or research data, such as museums, libraries, archives, etc. They are aimed at enhancing the institutions’ online presence through the delivery of integrated solutions that correspond to the principal requirements regarding the lifecycle of the digital content: safe storage, metadata development and mapping, organization, management, delivery, use and re-use.

The services encompass international standards and best practices in the related fields. Such an initiative aims at enhancing the collaboration among prestigious Greek cultural institutions, and at developing a sustainable ecosystem for the management and delivery of authoritative digital content. In this context, EKT sets a national best practice in the field of cultural data, with significant international impact. 

The Repository of the Acropolis Educational Material was developed within the Project "National Information System for Research and Technology /Social Networks-User Generated Content" (NISRT). NISRT is co-financed by Greece and the European Union - European Regional Development Fund (Operational Programme "Digital Convergence", NSFR).