Ephor (archaeology)

In Greece, ephor (Greek: έφορος, romanized: ephoros, lit. 'overseer') is a title formerly given to the head of an archaeological ephorate (εφορεία, ephoria), or archaeological unit. It was first used in 1829 and continued in use for archaeological officers until 1982: the name "ephorate" continues to be used for archaeological units.

Most ephorates are responsible for a particular region of Greece. However, the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities has jurisdiction across the whole of Greece, as does the Ephorate of Private Archaeological Collections, while two Ephorates of Palaeoanthropology and Speleology exist, one for northern and one for southern Greece.