In the cemetery of Vienna stands a tall black tombstone with the names of a Jewish family. The German inscription reads: “Here lies Herr Jakob Stökel, born 15 May 1822, died 18 October 1897”. The Hebrew text is a little bit more extensive: “Here lies the honorable rabbi, our teacher, Jakov Stokel, son of Alexander….
An expedition to Egypt
In November of 2022 I went on an expedition to Egypt together with my dear friend Marein. My goal was to travel from south to north, visiting sites and tombs along the way to get a feel for the the landscape while documenting landscape scenes in the tombs that we passed. This in light of…
Chronicles of a Cairo book buyer
The first time I came to Egypt, and Zamalek, I was 12 years old. It made a lasting impression on me, leading me to study Egyptology. But the first time I really saw the country was when I was a student of 20 years old, back in 2008. At that time I was doing my…
Dealing with grief
It was a hot day for a funeral. The local cemetery was basking in sunlight. The family was sat inside, socially distanced, with the open coffin in front. A grandchild stood up to speak, “Goddamn it, grandma,” began the speech. I was not a part of this. It was not my family. I sat outside…
Egyptologists’ Notebooks
Egyptologists’ Notebooks (2020) Chris Naunton Thames & Hudson 264 pages, 242 ill. ISBN: 9780500295298 Publisher link To be fair, the reason I wanted to review this book was simply to have it in my possession. It being a gorgeous bound and embossed volume with matte paper that beautifully brings out the 242 sketches, maps, plans,…
Digging up the past in films
Recently I have been watching a number of films loosely related to archaeology, or more accurately, ‘digging up the past’. This includes paleontology (‘Sweet, you’re an archaeologist. What are you digging up, dinosaurs?’) and the more ephemeral digging up of memories. Here goes. In Luxor (2020), we follow British aid worker Hana taking a break…
Bring the abnormal back in hieratic
After three delightful popular books about entrepreneurs in ancient Egypt (two of which were female, see reviews here and here), Koen Donker van Heel is back with a fourth installment in the series. Dealing with the Dead in ancient Egypt: The Funerary Business of Petebaste (AUC Press) is about a mortuary priest (choachyte) living in…
From bright sunshine to shady tombs: the photographic journey of an Egyptologist
In the fall of 2019 (BC: Before Covid) I packed my bags and my mum to spend one month in sunny Luxor. Staying in a flat on the rural west bank of the Nile, I planned to relax, work on a PhD proposal and take lots of photographs. With the assistance of Julia Thorne from…