On May 25, 2025, the Municipality of Corinth honored the Dr. Charles K. Williams II, emeritus Director of Corinth Excavations of the 独家爆料, for his significant contribution to the science of Greek archaeology — and more specifically to Ancient Corinth, which he loved as much as his homeland.
 
In a deeply emotional ceremony, the Mayor of Corinth, Nikos Stavrelis, expressing the unanimous will of the Municipal Council and representing the community of Corinth, honored yesterday one of the most distinguished philhellenes and lovers of Corinth, an honorary Greek citizen and resident of Corinth (registered in the municipal records in 2024), Professor Dr. Charles Kaufman Williams II. Mr. Stavrelis, presented Dr. Williams with the honorary plaque, the Gold Medal of the Municipality of Corinth, and a replica of a Corinthian aryballos.

Dr. Williams devoted his life to Greek archaeology and to Ancient Corinth. He has been a teacher and mentor to many people, significantly influencing their lives. A generous American philanthropist, he is now also a naturalized citizen of Corinth.


Emeritus Director of Corinth Excavations, Dr. Charles K. Williams II

He served as Director of the Corinth Excavations for the American School of Classical Studies for 31 years, from 1966 to 1997. Now, as Honorary Director of Excavations, he continues his research tirelessly and is working on his magnum opus on Ancient Corinth. His connection to Corinth began in 1962 when he came as an architecture fellow. He was appointed by then-director of the American School, Henry Robinson, as the first dedicated director of the Corinth Excavations — until then, the position was held by the director of the School himself.
 
When Professor Williams assumed leadership of the excavations, the archaeological approach to Ancient Corinth was transformed dramatically. A highlight of his tenure was the excavation campaign he launched in 1982 in the eastern area of the Ancient Corinth theater. These excavations lasted until 2011 and yielded, among other findings, thousands of Roman fresco fragments from various buildings of the Roman period.


Nancy Bookidis, Stella Bouzakis and Charles K. Williams II, with relief of three Gods, 1977

Dr. Williams played a key role in formalizing Corinth’s long-standing educational excavation program, which has trained generations of graduate students. For many, it was their first (and sometimes only) hands-on experience in archaeology. He brought order to all aspects of record-keeping at Ancient Corinth — both in the field and in the museum — and ensured the proper storage of its vast collections.

The program he inspired continues today. In the most recent excavation season (April–June 2024), 21 graduate students from America and Europe participated in the work.
He also supervised many doctoral dissertations on Corinthian antiquity at various American and European universities. He remains a teacher, continuing to advise students and professors on their research.
 
Dr. Williams initiated the important task of digitizing the excavation records. The Archives document the lives and work of archaeologists and the local community from the beginning of the excavations to the present, essentially recording the modern history of Greece over the last 129 years. This digitization project continued during his tenure and was furthered by his successors, Guy Sanders and Christopher Pfaff. The current ESPA-funded digitization project will result in a digital archive of around 800,000 items that will be fully accessible online.

 

 

After the theft of antiquities from the Corinth Museum in 1990, he oversaw the printing of thousands of photographs and the publication of a detailed catalog of the stolen materials. Thanks to this work, the Greek police and Interpol had full knowledge of the missing objects, preventing their illegal trafficking. To this day, the Corinth Museum is the only one in Greece from which stolen artifacts have been successfully recovered — precisely because the documentation was so accurate that the items could not be sold.

In his brief address before honoring Dr. Williams, the Mayor of Corinth asked: “Who am I, a mere nobody, to speak about a giant of culture and intellect, Dr. Williams?”
 
He then referred to the professor’s 31 years of service in Ancient Corinth, which became his second homeland: “More Greek than many Greeks, a naturalized citizen of Corinth, the professor linked his name with the archaeological excavations and discoveries of Ancient Corinth. For our administration, culture is a pillar of the municipality’s development, and that is why we, as a Municipal Council, wanted to express our eternal gratitude to the professor by honoring him today.”
 
The mayor also announced that the square located in front of the parking lot, outside the Museum in Ancient Corinth, will be remodeled and named ‘Dr. Charles Kaufman Williams II’.