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Early Life and Education (1903-1925)
- February 17, 1903: Born in Wadowice, Poland, to Jan Bulas and Maria Targosz.
- 1913-1921: Attended the Imperial-Royal Gymnasium in Wadowice; graduated on June 13, 1921.
- Fall 1921: Began studying classical archaeology and ancient history at Jagiellonian University, Kraków.
- 1923: Became a junior assistant at the Classical Archaeology Office under Professor Piotr Bieńkowski.
- 1925: Completed additional studies in France and Italy; awarded a certificate of completion.
Academic and Professional Career in Poland (1927-1939)
- 1927: Earned a PhD in classical archaeology for his dissertation Illustrations to the Iliad in Antiquity.
- 1931-1939: Lecturer of Modern Greek at Jagiellonian University.
- Taught Latin and Greek at St. Jacek’s Gymnasium and worked at the Polish-Italian Society reading room.
- 1930-1931: Academic journey to multiple European countries; interned at École Française d’Athènes.
- 1935: Obtained habilitation with Chronology of Attic Funeral Steles of the Archaic Era.
- 1936: Appointed assistant professor at Jagiellonian University.
Contributions to Archaeology and Greek-Polish Relations (1931-1939)
- 1931-1936: Co-authored the first three volumes of Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum.
- 1932: Developed the classification of the “Bulas group” of ceramics.
- 1931-1932: Hosted radio talks on contemporary Greek topics.
- 1933: Published Outline of the History of Modern Greek Literature.
- 1936-1938: Delivered lectures in Athens and Thessaloniki.
- 1937: Represented Jagiellonian University at the centenary of the National University of Kapodistrias in Greece.
- Awarded the Royal Order of the Phoenix gold cross by Greece.
- Helped organize the Missolonghi soil ceremony at Piłsudski Mound.
World War II and Imprisonment (1939-1945)
- November 6, 1939: Arrested during Sonderaktion Krakau and imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
- March 5, 1940: Transferred to Dachau concentration camp.
- April 12, 1940: Released after intervention by the Greek embassy.
- 1940-1945: Lived in Kraków, surviving repressions and teaching private lessons.
- 1943: Imprisoned twice in Płaszów camp.
Post-War Academic Contributions (1945-1951)
- 1945: Resumed academic career at Jagiellonian University.
- Became professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, and head of the Department of Mediterranean Archaeology.
- Delivered lectures at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
- 1946: Translated Amon Goeth’s trial testimony.
- 1947: Appointed head of the PAU scientific station in Rome.
Emigration and Later Career in the United States (1951-1970)
- 1951: Emigrated to the United States; became professor of Slavic philology and librarian at Rice University.
- 1959: Published the first edition of his Polish-English and English-Polish dictionary with the Kościuszko Foundation.
- 1963: Released a revised and expanded edition of the dictionary.
- September 26, 1970: Passed away in Houston, Texas.