Intern
  • Auszüge aus magischen Texten aus Kulturen des Altertums (Griechisch, Hieratisch, Demotisch, Akkadisch): British Library P 122; British Museum P Chester Beatty 7 und P Leiden/London; BM 34065
DFG Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe MagEIA

Fellowship Report

My project at MagEIA, "Tools of Medicine: Materials in Medical-Magical Spells," addresses the correspondence between medical-magical texts and material culture, taking a diachronic lens. The initial results of the project include an in-press peer-reviewed article, several conference talks, an upcoming conference proceedings article, and another recently submitted article.  The former, “Material Culture of Magic: Animal Amulets and Objects in Egyptian Gynecological Spells,” is currently scheduled to be published in the October 2025 issue of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, following revisions made post-peer review.  For MagEIA’s first symposium, I presented my paper, “Egyptian Women and their Gods vs. the Evil Dead and their Demons.”  In December 2024, I presented my paper, “Figural Magic: Clay Objects in Medical-Magical Context,” for the 5th Annual Postdoctoral Conference of the Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten (NINO).  Currently, this paper has been adapted into an article and submitted for the conference proceedings.  For the upcoming European Congress of Egyptologists conference, I submitted my paper, “Good Blood, Bad Blood: Blood and Bleeding in Egyptian Medical-Magical Texts,” which will examine Egyptian attitudes towards various types of bleeding and the use of blood in medical-magical treatments.  I likewise recently submitted my paper, “Call the Midwife: Women in Ancient Egyptian Medical-Magical Practices,” for the international conference “Sex and Gender in Ancient Egypt: roles, norms and transgressions,” which will be hosted by Sorbonne Université and Institut des Civilisations, Collège de France.  Finally, I recently submitted my article, “Vegetal Clay: Plants and Seeds in Medical-Magical Figurines,” to the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.

The interdisciplinary contacts within MagEIA have enriched my work with cross-cultural comparisons.  For example, with my article on animal amulets, the use of a cat in PGM III provided a variation in the use of felines in medical-magical spells.  Likewise, part of my article on the use of figurines with plant or seed material includes an assessment of their similarities with Assyrian house amulets, tablets which also used plant material to enhance the objects’ protective powers.  Given my initial work focusing on gynecological spells, learning about Ethiopian female fumigation practices has provided a framework for examining similar ancient Egyptian practices.  The bi-weekly seminars have likewise showcased parallels to features seen in the Egyptian medical-magical texts, such as the types of illness-causes and magical means of control such as binding these malevolent elements.  Finally, as a result of the discussions of translation issues of particular texts in the seminars, I plan at a future point to launch a project to create a new translation with commentary for pBerlin 3027, also known as the “Papyrus für Mutter und Kind.”

MagEIA has been a highly friendly and supportive work environment through my time here.  Dr. Martin Stadler and Dr. Svenja Nagel have been vital for introducing me to the German Egyptological community, such as the Egyptology department colloquium and the 2024 meeting of the Studien zur Ägyptischen Kultur.  The sharing of publications relevant to each other’s research was a regular occurrence amongst the fellows and PIs. Discussions of future directions in research and funding opportunities have been especially helpful in making plans for continuing research.  As an early career scholar, I have found the various advice given by colleagues and PIs concerning the peer-review process indispensable for successfully navigating this procedure to get my animal amulets article approved for publication.

For my future research plans, I would remain in contact with MagEIA.  Besides the future work on the MagEIA handbook, I plan to present my paper, “Cats out of the bag: Use of living animals in ancient Egyptian healing rituals,” for the next MagEIA Symposium.  In addition, for a future project on a new translation of pBerlin 3027, I anticipate applying for a DFG-grant, making University of Würzburg my would-be host institution.  As I continue my research on the material culture of ancient Egyptian medical-magical spells, I foresee continuing to reach out to current and past fellows concerning cross-cultural parallels and their viewpoints on uncertain passages.  I would also be open to presenting my current research in a future lector for MagEIA.

Publications

  • (In Press) “Material Culture of Magic: Animal Amulets and Objects in Egyptian Gynecological Spells,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 84/2 (October 2025).
  • (Submitted) “Figural Magic: Clay Objects in Medical-Magical Context,” in “Unseen-Untold: Stories of ancient non-elite communities”: Proceedings of the NINO Postdoctoral Research Fellow 5th Annual Conference Leiden, 18-20 December 2024. Egyptologische Uitgaven.
  • (Submitted) “Vegetal Clay: Plants and Seeds in Medical-Magical Figurines,” Journal Egyptian Archaeology.