On October 4, 1874, Acad. Gavril Katsarov was born.

On October 4, 1874, Acad. Prof. Gavril Katsarov (1874-1958) was born. He was a world-renowned scholar in the field of ancient history and a long-time lecturer at Sofia University. His personal belongings—a portrait photograph, index cards, a statuette of an Egyptian deity, glasses, and a pen holder—are on display in the permanent exhibition in Hall 5 of the Bulgarian History Museum among the exhibits dedicated to our oldest institution of higher education.

Gavril Katsarov was born in Koprivshtitsa in 1874. He was one of the first Bulgarians to receive professional education in ancient history. In 1899, he graduated with a doctorate in Classical Philology and Ancient History from the University of Leipzig. In the following years, he specialized in Germany and Italy. He was the founder of the department and a long-time professor of ancient history at Sofia University, dean (1915-1918) and rector (1927-1928) of Sofia University.

In addition to being a lecturer, he was “director of the National Archaeological Museum, one of the founders of the Bulgarian Archaeological Institute and its long-time director, a member of numerous scientific institutes around the world. A teacher to an entire generation of historians and archaeologists, he wrote numerous works and left a deep mark on the development of Bulgarian science,” reads his obituary, printed by the Archaeological Institute and Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 1958, which is kept at the Bulgarian History Museum. Another obituary, from Sofia University, notes his scientific interests: “He worked tirelessly for more than half a century to clarify a number of issues in the field of the ancient history of Thrace and Macedonia.” He also contributed to the systematic study of Thracian antiquities. The National Archaeological Museum also holds photographs of Acad. Katsarov in front of the Archaeological Museum in 1932 and in his office (in the photographs), a newspaper clipping – a caricature of the scholar by Alexander Dobrinov (in the photograph), donated by Rada Gavrilova Katsarova.

Text: Mariana Parvanova