The third conference dedicated to women in the archaeology of Greece, titled “The Great Women Behind the Great Men: Third Workshop on Women in the Archaeology of Greece. Tribute to Maria Ludwika Bernhard” and dedicated to the memory of Professor Maria Ludwika Bernhard, took place on March 12–13, 2025. The event was organized by PAIA and the École Française d’Athènes, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Athens.
The official opening on March 12 was graced by distinguished guests and speakers. The Director of the EFA, Professor Véronique Chankowski, officially opened the conference by welcoming participants in Polish. This was followed by a speech in French delivered by the chargé d’affaires of the Polish Embassy in Athens, Wojciech Ponikiewski. We were also honored to host online the Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Professor Bogumiła Kaniewska. During the opening session, speeches were also given by the Director of PAIA, Professor Janusz Czebreszuk, and the Deputy Director, Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka.
On the first day of the conference, Beata Kukiel-Vraila presented her book Archeologia bez makijażu (Archaeology Without Makeup). The publication features interviews with prominent women scholars affiliated with PAIA who have broken stereotypes surrounding women’s roles in science: Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka, Professor Marzena Szmyt, Dr. Zofia Stos-Gale, Professor Agata Ulanowska, Dr. Stephanie Aulsebrook, Professor Inga Głuszek, Professor Véronique Chankowski, and Professor Bogumiła Kaniewska. This book will be the first official publication of PAIA.
On the second day of the conference, Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka gave a lecture dedicated to Professor Maria Ludwika Bernhard, to whom this year’s workshop was devoted. Reflections on Professor Bernhard’s legacy were also shared by Professor Hubert Kowalski and Monika Dunajko, MA, from the University of Warsaw. The program also included a presentation by Dr. Katarzyna Dudlik from Adam Mickiewicz University, devoted to the life of Krystyna Michałowska.
This symposium is an initiative of the École Française d’Athènes, held annually in cooperation with various archaeological institutions in Greece. We are honored that this year, PAIA was a co-organizer of the event.
