On February 11—International Day of Women and Girls in Science—we remember Maria Brachkova (1889–1970), the first Bulgarian woman appointed to a scientific position at the National Archaeological Museum. At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was predominantly a male profession, and fieldwork required not only knowledge but also character. She possessed both.
February 11 – Day of Women and Girls in Science. Maria Brachkova – the first lady of Bulgarian archaeology
On February 11—International Day of Women and Girls in Science—we remember Maria Brachkova (1889–1970), the first Bulgarian woman appointed to a scientific position at the National Archaeological Museum. At the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology was predominantly a male profession, and fieldwork required not only knowledge but also character. She possessed both.
Born in Ruse, Maria received an excellent education as a student at the Fundukleevska Gymnasium in Kiev. She later graduated in history and geography from Sofia University, and her desire for in-depth specialisation took her to Berlin, where she defended her doctoral thesis in 1925. She worked with leading European archaeologists and established herself as a specialist in ancient art and epigraphy.
In 1919, she joined the National Archaeological Museum, becoming the first woman to hold a scientific position at the institution. She began by cataloguing the collections, but was soon entrusted with archaeological excavations, including Nicopolis ad Istrum. Her research on ancient sculpture and symbolism, especially her work on the shell in ancient art, gained international recognition and was cited in European scientific literature.
After years of working in Germany and Italy, where she collaborated with the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, she returned to Bulgaria. In 1937, she won an award from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for her scientific work, but donated the prize money to a young archaeology student—a gesture that shows how strongly she believed in supporting the next generation.
In 1945, she was invited to head the Medieval Department of the Archaeological Museum – recognition of her authority and experience. But Bulgaria was already in a new political reality. The post-war reorganization of institutions, the increased requirements for political reliability, her Italian citizenship, and her long-standing professional contacts in Germany and Italy probably proved to be an obstacle. The appointment did not materialize.
In the following years, she worked more modestly – translating, editing, assisting colleagues and young scientists. When she finally returned to Bulgaria in the late 1950s, the scientific environment had changed significantly. She published less frequently and stayed away from ideological disputes, but continued to assist young researchers with translations and expertise.
Today, Maria Brachkova’s works continue to be cited by specialists in classical archaeology, but outside the narrow scientific circle, her name is rarely mentioned. And yet she was the first woman in Bulgaria to enter the museum halls and archaeological field in 1919. She worked in Berlin and Rome, gained recognition, survived political upheavals, illness, and isolation—and despite everything, she remained true to her calling.
Perhaps her own words describe her best: “Without work and scientific pursuits, life loses all meaning for me.” These words sum up her entire biography – not in terms of titles and dates, but as an inner need to seek, explore, and understand the past. It is precisely this dedication that has made Maria Brachkova the first woman in Bulgarian archaeology – not only in terms of chronology, but also in terms of the power of her example.
In compiling this text, we have used:
Жоржета Назърска, „Мария Бръчкова (1889–1970) – първата българска археоложка“, Историкии, т. 15, 2022, с. 79–93.
