Galina Pugachenkova

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Galina Anatolyevna Pugachenkova (7 February 1915 – 18 February 2007) was a Soviet archaeologist and art historian who helped found Uzbek archaeology. She played a key role in documenting Central Asian architecture and art, often recording buildings that had survived to the present. She led important fieldwork in southern Turkmenistan (1946–1961) and in Uzbekistan (1959–1984), and she published more than 700 works in six languages on Central Asian art and architecture from ancient to medieval times. She began her career after graduating in 1937 from the Central Asian Industrial Institute.

Her research covered many sites and topics, including Khalchayan, Dalverzintepa and Akcha-kala, as well as the broader history of Bactria and Kushan-era art. She explored how Bactrian and Parthian cultures influenced Gandhara, studied the art of the Silk Road, and examined coins, sculpture and murals. She also studied the layout and symbolism of Timurid gardens. Pugachenkova stressed that archaeological finds in their original places are crucial for understanding history and argued for keeping Uzbek treasures in Uzbekistan, publishing catalogs to bring together dispersed materials.

Her major books include The Art of Uzbekistan, The Art of Turkmenistan, The Art of Afghanistan, The Art of Bactria of the Kushan era, and From the Artistic Treasure of the Middle East (co-authored with L. I. Rempel). She was married to fellow archaeologist Mikhail Masson. She received several honors, including honorary doctorates and memberships in international institutes. She died in Tashkent in 2007 and was buried after a Christian service.