Raissa Samojlovna Calza (née Gourevitch; 15 December 1894 – 24 January 1979) was a Ukrainian dancer who became a prominent classical archaeologist of Roman portraiture.
After studying archaeology at the École du Louvre, she returned to Italy and began working at the Ostia Antica excavation site, where she met her third husband Guido Calza.
She published many books on the archaeological sites in Ostia and was recognized for her efforts with a gold Italian Medal of Merit for Culture and Art on 2 June 1967.
[3][4] In 1923, in Rome, Gourevitch was offered the opportunity to be the lead ballerina for a production of L'Histoire du soldat directed by Hermann Scherchen at the Teatro degli Undici.
[6] In Paris, Gourevitch studied archaeology at the École du Louvre, taking classes taught by Charles Picard, although she never received a formal degree.
[3][9] Because of her lack of formal qualifications, Gourevitch couldn't find work as an archaeologist, but became a photographer and assistant at the Ostia Antica site near Rome in 1937.
[15] Calza's writing as an archaeologist and academic was supplemented by her skill with languages: she knew Russian, French, Italian, English, and German.