Virgínia de Bivar Robertes Rau (4/9 December 1907 – 2 November 1973) was a Portuguese archaeologist and historian. She was an expert on Portuguese and Portuguese colonial history and author of many history books. She was the daughter of Luís Rau, Jr. (1865–1943) of German descent, and his wife Matilde de Bivar de Paula Robertes (1879–1961) of Spanish descent, who married in Lisbon in 1902. She enrolled in the Faculty of Letters of the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

in 1927, but the following year went aboard, where she attended several courses including at the

University of Toulouse The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...

. In 1939, due to the beginning of the Second World War, she returned to Lisbon, where she joined the Historical and Philosophical Sciences of the Faculty of Arts. A member of the

Academia Portuguesa da História An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, Rau published a vast collection of works on Portuguese and colonial medieval and modern history.GARCIA, José Manuel. RAU, Virgínia. ''Estudos Sobre a História do Sal Português'' (in Portuguese). Lisboa : Editorial Presença, 1984. On 2 July 1969 she was awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the

Order of Public Instruction The Order of Public Instruction () is a Portuguese order of civil merit. Established in 1927, it is conferred upon deserving individuals for "high services rendered to education and teaching." History Established in April 1927 as the "Order of In ...

. ''Portuguese Studies Review'' cites her as a pioneer of the historiographical research of Timor governor , after a work she published in 1956. She has also commented on the economic history of Brazil and Angola.

References

Portuguese archaeologists Portuguese women archaeologists 20th-century Portuguese historians Portuguese women historians 20th-century archaeologists University of Lisbon alumni Portuguese people of German descent Portuguese people of Spanish descent 1907 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Portuguese women writers {{archaeologist-stub