(or ‘Lebenslauf’ as the Germans so beautifully call it)
1987: Born to Antonia Johanna and Eduard Maarten, who always encouraged me to pursue the things I loved. Together with three siblings in a tiny house in Amsterdam.
2000: Visited Egypt for the first time on a guided tour with my mother. Fell in love with the landscape, culture, history and people. Learned my first hieroglyphs from the tour guide. Decided to study Egyptology after finishing school.
2005: Started studying Egyptology at Leiden University, a place that still feels like home.
2008: Obtained a BA degree in Egyptology. Travelled through Egypt for 3 months, first during the ‘Cairo semester’ of the MA Egyptology and later with friends.
2010: Excavated in Saqqara. A dream come true.
2013: Finished another BA in Archaeology at Leiden University.
2014: Finished the Research MA in Egyptology at Leiden University with a thesis on two scenes in the mastaba chapel of Hetepherakhty at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. Excavated in Luxor, another dream come true.
2015-2020: Worked in various capacities at Leiden University and beyond, as well as doing freelance jobs to fund my annual trips to Egypt. But the feeling of wanting to do a PhD kept nagging…
2020: Took the leap and moved to Germany to start a PhD during Covid times.
2020-2021: My mother passed away suddenly and my father got seriously ill… Not the best time to be doing a PhD abroad. Great support from family and friends, and a shift in perspective about the values I wanted to pursue.
2022-2024: Full-blown academic life. Wrote papers, presented at international conferences and travelled the length of Egypt on a research trip. Guided tours for Huis van Horus.
2024: A Leiden University building was named after Herta Mohr! Never knew my research could lead to this. Very proud of everyone who campaigned.
2025: Back to the Netherlands. Finishing my PhD dissertation and preparing a book about the tomb chapel of Hetepherakhty. Finally making YouTube videos! Who knows what’s next?