CV

M. Berti and F. Naether receive the Theodor-Litt-Award from Prorector Hofsäss, Paulinum, Dies Academicus 2018. Photo: M. Wenzel

My profiles online (current affiliations):

SAW Leipzig

Universität Leipzig

Stellenbosch University

New York University, ISAW

Research Interests

  • Ancient Egyptian religion, rituals, divination, magic, interdisciplinary comparison
  • Egyptian and Greek literature
  • Social and economic history (especially of the Graeco-Roman period)
  • Papyrology (Demotic, Greek, Coptic; multilingual texts)
  • Ancient ”propaganda“ and ruler cult
  • Reception of Egypt (especially in the 20th century including the so-called “Third Reich”)
  • History of Egyptology and Ancient History
  • Digital Humanities and 3D archaeology
  • Museology and PR of museums

Education

  • April 2021 Habilitation
  • 2014–2020 Working on the habilitation thesis „Kultpraxis in altägyptischen Literatur– Phänomene und Funktionen“ („Cult Practices in Ancient Egyptian Literary Texts – Phenomena and Functions“) about all cult practices (rituals, divination, magic, etc.) mentioned in ancient Egyptian literary texts (Middle, Late Egyptian and Demotic)
  • July 2009 PhD in Egyptology (summa cum laude, opus eximium); title of the dissertation: „‚Du wirst deine Geliebte heiraten, aber es wird dir leid tun‘ ‑ Problemlösungsstrategien im römischen Ägypten nach den Sortes Astrampsychi und den Ticket-Orakeln“ („‚You will marry your girlfriend, but you will be sorry‘ – problem solving strategies in Roman Egypt with the Sortes Astrampsychi and the ‚ticket‘ oracles“); Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert (Leipzig), Prof. Dr. Mark Depauw (KU Leuven), published in 2010
  • 2007 Research trip to the Laboratorio Demotico, Pisa and to the 25th Congress of Papyrology, Ann Arbor, MI
  • July 2006 Participant of the 1st Summer School in Coptic Papyrology, Vienna, research trip/excursion with students to Rome and to Egypt
  • July 2004‑Aug. 2009 PhD student in Egyptology
  • March 2003 Research trip to Upper Egypt
  • May 2004 Magister (M.A., grade 1,1; Master Thesis summa cum laude)
  • October 1999‑June 2004 Studies in Egyptology, Ancient History (Papyrology and Cultural Studies/Cultural Business (Sociology/Marketing/PR) at the University of Leipzig; during this: Latinum and Graecum (degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek)

Work Experience

  • Apr‑Sep 2011 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
  • Mar 2011 research associate in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC, latest Output here)
  • Oct 2010‑Feb 2011 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
  • Aug‑Sep 2010 research assistant in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC)
  • Apr‑July 2010 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
  • Mar 2010 research associate in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC)
  • Sep 2009‑Feb 2010 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
  • 2005‑2008 research associate for the project „Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Graeco-Roman Egypt“ (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Sofja-Kovalevskaja-Award project of Mark Depauw) in Cologne/Leuven creating the database „Trismegistos„. I was responsible for „TM Magic“ (religious and magical texts in all languages and religions), school texts and literature.
  • 2002‑2003 student assistant in Ancient History, Department of History, for the project „Women in Early Christianity“ and at the Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
  • 2001‑2003 student assistant at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities Leipzig, for the project „Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae“ (TLA)
  • 2000 Student internships in Crystal Palace Variété (Marketing/PR) and Museum of Musical Instruments, Leipzig

Scholarships and Awards

Projects

Projects I have supported/aided/participated in (from 2020)

  • 2020-2022 Multiple Transformationen. Gesellschaftliche Erfahrung und kultureller Wandel in Ostdeutschland und Ostmitteleuropa vor und nach 1989 (GWZO, HAIT, ISGV, SI; Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
  • 2020 Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch-Nachträge (SAW household funds, Akademienunion)
  • 2020 Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae
  • 2020-2021 NFDI-Konsortium Text+
  • 2020-2021 NFDI-Konsortium NFDI4Memory
  • 2020-2022 Jüdische Gelehrte an der Universität Leipzig. Teilhabe, Benachteiligung und Ausschluss (DI, Virtuelle Archive, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
  • 2020-2022 Corona-Projekt: Vom Virus zu viralen Verschwörungstheorien (HAIT, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
  • since 2020 Malaja-Pereščepina-Projekt (Leibniz/GWZO & DAI)
  • since 2020 „EpiMedDat“-Datenbank for The Dantean Anomaly (1309-1321). Rapid Climate Change and Late Medieval Europe in a Global Perspective (GWZO, VolkswagenStiftung)
  • since 2020 Time Machine Europe – Invigorating European History with the Big Data of the Past (EU)
  • 2020-2021 „Wismut-Erbe-Forschung“ (SAW, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism & Wismut AG)
  • since 2021 Zentralregister Sorbisches Kulturerbe (SI, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
  • since 2022 M4 – Mitteldeutsches Methodennetzwerk für Multidimensionale Mikrodaten in den Humanities (BMBF)
  • since 2023 The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times (RIAB; Bar-Ilan-University, Israel & Universität Leipzig, Max Planck Gesellschaft)

Academic Management Duties

2009–2019 head of the library of the Egyptological Institut/Egyptian Museum Leipzig (and of three project libraries (acquisition, catalogization, communicatio, loans, security, bookbinding and conservation, exchange with numerous other internationalen institutions)

2009–2019 Knowledge transfer: media relations, outreach activities, researc communication, press releases, poster and flyer design, event calendars

2009–2019 Fundraising for Institute, Museum, library and projects; raised money from national and internationalen funding bodies such as foundations ESF, BMBF, Free State of Saxony,                               sponsors from the free economy, private donors, association of friends

2009–2019 temporary cover (vacation etc.) of the head of the institute and museum

Organization of academic and public events: exhibitions, larger museum events (incl. VIP), tours, concerts, theater, guest lectures, conferences, workshops, Leipzig Book Fair, Wave-Gotik-Treffen etc.

2010–2019 responsible for interns (via Erasmus, high schools and middle schools, study programs, libraries, unemployment agency, ca. 10–15 interns per year)

2010–2019 responsible for the supervision of national and international guests and adjuncts

since 2010 Webmaster (several versions of Typo3, experience in WordPress and Joomla)

Organized Conferences and Scholarly Meetings

Additionally, I have been asked to chair conference sections, lead discussions on politics for higher education and hosting cultural events such as book launch readings, vernissages of artists, discussions on european and global politics etc.

Museum Exhibitions

  • 2022-2024 aiding museums worldwide to create a replica of the Rosetta Stone with our data from the Digital Rosetta Stone Project
  • 2022 Neue Wege zu alter Weisheit (on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the decipherment of Hieroglyphs and the Rosetta Stone, Museum für Druckkunst Leipzig and Ägyptisches Museum Leipzig)
  • 2020/21 digital exhibition „Aller guten Dinge sind drei“ on the Rosetta Stone (English version here)
  • 2018 & 2019 exhibition of student projects, Department for Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University (support)
  • 2017 „Bekriegt. Besetzt. Bereichert. Ägypten zwischen Spätzeit und Spätantike„, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig, MDR slide show
  • 2013 „Zwischen den Welten. Grabfunde von Ägyptens Südgrenze“ (Objects from the Qubbet el- Hawa from the University of Bonn), Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
  • 2012 „Von Naumburg bis zum Blauen Nil. Die Lepsius-Expedition nach Ägypten und Nubien“, Stadtmuseum and Schlösschen am Markt, Naumburg with an accompanying lecture series
  • 2012 „Georg Steindorff – Stationen eines Lebens (1861‑1951)“, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
  • 2008 „EIS THEOS – One God!“, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig on occasion of the conference „Language Typology and Egyptian-Coptic Linguistics“ with the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (October 2008)

Academic Memberships and Editorships

You would like to know more about statements on my research and teaching, a list of the project funds I have raised or a writing sample? Please do not hesitate to contact me!

References

  • Prof. Dr. Hans-W. Fischer-Elfert, Leipzig University
  • Prof. Dr. Izak Cornelius, Stellenbosch University
  • Prof. Dr. Mark Depauw, KU Leuven