Founded in 1881, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens is the oldest American overseas research institute. It has hosted and trained hundreds of classical scholars and archaeologists and more recently expanded its mission to include Byzantine and later Greek history and culture. This book traces the growing presence and prestige of this academic facility, which sponsors the long-term excavations of ancient Corinth and the Athenian Agora as well as one of the most important laboratories for archaeological science in Europe.