Academic education

since July 2022

PhD studies in Egyptology (Free University of Berlin)

Thesis title: „Die spätkoptischen Briefe der Papyrussammlung der Universität Heidelberg: Studien zu Sprache, Urkundenwesen und Sozialgeschichte des mittelalterlichen Ägypten“

September 2008

Magister Artium (M. A.) in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Egyptology (Leipzig University)

Thesis title: „Die spätbabylonischen Keilschrifttexte des Altorientalischen Instituts der Universität Leipzig“ (published 2011, in: Leipziger Altorientalische Studien 1)

October 2003 until September 2008

Studies (Magister Artium) in Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Egyptology (Leipzig University)

Academic positions

since February 2025

Research associate at the DFG project Aus einer koptischen Klosterbibliothek: Edition koptischer literarischer Texte aus dem Fajjum im Bestand der Papyrus- und Ostrakasammlung der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig (Institute of Egyptology, Free University of Berlin)

June 2023 until December 2023

Research associate at the Spotlight project Coptic Heritage Date for NLP (Egyptological Seminary, Free University of Berlin)

October 2020 until November 2022

Research associate at the DFG project Die Erschließung und Digitalisierung koptischer Papyri (sog. K-Tafeln) im Bestand der Papyrus- und Ostrakasammlung der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig (Leipzig University Library)

April 2010 until March 2012 and November 2012 until October 2015

Research associate at the project Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (Institute of Egyptology – Georg Steindorff, Leipzig University)

February 2009 until March 2010

Research assistant at the Collaborative Research Center Differenz und Integration (SFB 586) (Leipzig University)

October 2008 until December 2008

Research assistant (Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Leipzig University)

January 2005 until September 2008

Student assistant (Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies; Institute of Old Testament Studies; Collaborative Research Center Differenz und Integration (SFB 586); all Leipzig University)

Scholarships

April 2024 until September 2024

Elsa-Neumann PhD scholarship (graduation scholarship) of Berlin state

Organizing of scholarly events

March 15–16, 2022

together with Almuth Märker: Organization of the digital workshop Current Research on Fayyumic Literature and Literary Production in the Fayyum (Leipzig University Library)

Participation in Summer/Winter Schools

February 24–26, 2025

Participant in the Second HUJI-FUB Winter School in Digital Humanities (Free University of Berlin)

July 22–26, 2024

Participant in the Coptic Summer School in the course Advanced Coptic (Facoltà Valdese di Teologia, Rome)

February 27–March 1, 2023

Participant in the HUJI-FUB Digital Humanities Winterschool (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)

August 26–September 9, 2012

Participant in the 4th International Summer School in Coptic Papyrology (Heidelberg University)

July 27–August 3, 2008

Participant in the 2nd International Summer School in Coptic Papyrology (Leipzig University)

Winter semester 2014/2015

Seminar: “Koptisch I” [Introductory Coptic] (Institute of Egyptology – Georg Steindorff, Leipzig University)

Research interests

Coptic papyrology

Edition of Coptic texts of different types and in different dialects, focussing especially on letters and legal documents from early Islamic and early medieval Egypt as well as literary texts from the Fayyum, including studies on their materiality.

Coptic linguistics

In particular, research on the language varieties of every day life as well as phenomena related to language change and language contact.

Social and economic history of Egypt

In particular, research on the early Islamic (7th–9th c.) and early medieval periods (9th–11th c.).

Articles

forthcoming

“Diplomatic aspects of late Coptic epistolography: The external address” (submitted for publication in the proceedings oft he conference Briefe, Archive und Kommunikation in der Spätantike / Letters, archives and communication in Late Antiquity [November 8–9, 2021, Heidelberg University], edited by Loreleï Vanderheyden and Rodney Ast)

2024

together with Almuth Märker: “Einleitung: Zur Geschichte der Leipziger Papyrussammlung und ihrer Coptica.” In: Anne Boud’hors, Frederic Krueger, Almuth Märker and Tonio Sebastian Richter (eds.), Coptica Lipsiensia: Koptische Texte aus der Papyrus- und Ostrakasammlung der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig (P.Lips.Copt. I) (Archiv für Papyrusforschung. Beiheft 52), Berlin/Boston, p. 1–26.

2023

“A prisoner’s fate in Fatimid Egypt: The late Coptic Paitos dossier.” In: Andreas Kaplony and Matt Malczycki (eds.), From Samarqand to Toledo: Greek, Sogdian and Arabic Documents and Manuscripts from the Islamicate World and Beyond (Islamic History and Civilization 201), Leiden, p. 104–138.

2018

“[P.Heid.Kopt.] 25. A receipt or acknowledgement of delivery as part of a larger document.” In: Anne Boud’hors, Alain Delattre, Tonio Sebastian Richter, Gesa Schenke and Georg Schmelz (eds.), Coptica Palatina: Koptische Texte, bearbeitet auf der 4. Internationalen Sommerschule für koptische Papyrologie (P.Heid.Kopt.) (Studien und Texte aus der Heidelberger Papyrussammlung 1), Heidelberg, p. 144–145.

2013

together with Mathew Almond, Joost Hagen, Katrin John and Tonio Sebastian Richter: “Kontaktinduzierter Sprachwandel des Ägyptisch-Koptischen: Lehnwort-Lexikographie im Projekt Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC).” In: Ingelore Hafemann (ed.), Perspektiven einer corpusbasierten historischen Linguistik und Philologie: Internationale Tagung des Akademievorhabens ‚Altägpytisches Wörterbuch‚ an der BBAW, 12.–13. Dezember 2011 (Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae 4), Berlin, p. 238–315.

2011

“Die spätbabylonischen Rechtsurkunden.” In: Michael P. Streck (ed.), Die Keilschrifttexte des Altorientalischen Instituts der Universität Leipzig (Leipziger Altorientalische Studien 1), Wiesbaden, p. 87–110.

Scholarly lectures and conference presentations

2024

together with Frederic Krueger, Almuth Märker and Tonio Sebastian Richter: “Lasst und feiern – auf Koptisch!” (August 22, 2024, public lecture at Leipzig University Library)

“Reflections of a changing society: The manifold influence of Arabic on Coptic letter writing (10th/11th c.)” (June 1, 2024, in the framework of the workshop Graduate Exchange in Late Antique, Byzantine and Medieval History at Mainz University)

2023

“‘May the Lord establish him firmly upon his throne …’: The late Coptic bishops’ letters” (March 6, 2023, in the framework of the Ninth International Society for Arabic Papyrology Conference at Fayoum University [Egypt])

2022

“Ein papyrologisches Puzzle mit 750 Teilen: Die Erschließung der bisher unbekannten koptischen Fragmente der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig” (October 20, 2022, public lecture at Leipzig University Library)

“Die unkatalogisierten koptischen Fragmente der Papyrus- und Ostrakasammlung der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig” (September 14, 2022, in the framework of the 34. Deutscher Orientalistentag at Free University of Berlin)

“The many lives of a document: The case of P.Vindob. K 8314” (July 26, 2022, in the framework of the XXXth International Congress of Papyrology at Collège de France, Paris)

“Remnants of a Fayyumic monastic library? The uncatalogued Coptic material from Leipzig University Library’s Papyri and Ostraca Collection” (July 12, 2022, in the framework of the 12th International Congress of Coptic Studies at Université Libre de Bruxelles)

“Solving a papyrological jig-saw puzzle: Cataloguing Coptic literary fragments from Leipzig University Library’s Papyrus and Ostraca Collection” (24. Juni 2022, im Rahmen des Sixth Papyrus Curatiorial and Conversation Meeting an der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig)

“Apocrypha among the K-Tafeln” (June 16, 2022, in the framework of The APOCRYPHA Workshop, 2022 at Oslo University)

“The so-called ‘K-Tafeln’ of Leipzig University Library’s Papyrus and Ostraca Collection: Remainders of a monastic library from the Fayyum?” (March 15, 2022, in the framework of the digital workshop Current Research on Fayyumic Literature and Literary Production in the Fayyum organized by Leipzig University Library)

“From Greek to Arabic: Loanword usage in the late Coptic letters of the 10th/11th cent.” (February 2, 2022, in the framework of the digital conference New Light from the East: Linguistic Perspectives on Non-Literary Papyri and Related Sources organized by Helsinki University and Ghent University)

2021

“Studying the late Coptic letters on paper: Linguistic, diplomatic, and material aspects” (November 9, 2021, in the framework of the conference Briefe, Archive und Kommunikation in der Spätantike / Letters, archives and communication in Late Antiquity at Heidelberg University)

2018

“Das spätkoptische Paitos-Dossier Korrespondenz eines Gefangenen” (November 6, 2018, in the framework of the 51. Neue Forschungen zur ägyptischen Kultur und Geschichte in Berlin, organized by Free University of Berlin and Humboldt University of Berlin)

“‘For you know about my life and the prison I am in’: The late Coptic Paitos dossier” (March 21, 2018, in the framework of the Seventh International Society for Arabic Papyrology Conference at Free University of Berlin)

2014

“Negation strategies in the latest varieties of the Coptic language” (December 12, 2014, in the framework of the workshop Negation in Ancient Egyptian in Paris, organized by the CNRS [LLACAN-UMR 8135] and the Universitè de Liège)

2013

“‘Solomon, er wurde zu Satan’: Sünde, Versuchung und Intrigen in den spätkoptischen Briefen” (September 27, 2013, in the framework of the 32. Deutscher Orientalistentag at Münster University)

“Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC)” (May 14, 2013, in the framework of the Workshop on Digital and Computational Scholarship in the Coptic Language at Humboldt University of Berlin)

2012

“Coptic epistolography under Arabic influence: The case of the late blessing formulae” (September 19, 2012, in the framework of the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies Sapienza University of Rome)

“Arabic influence on Coptic letter-writing: The case of the late blessing formulae” (March 30, 2012, in the framework of the Fifth International Society for Arabic Papyrology Conference at Tunis University)

2011

together with Katrin John and Tonio Sebastian Richter: “Kontaktinduzierter Sprachwandel im Ägyptisch-Koptischen: Lehnwort-Lexikographie im Projekt Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic (DDGLC)” (December 13, 2011, in the framework of the conference Perspektiven einer corpusbasierten historischen Linguistik und Philologie at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities)

2010

together with Mathew Almond, Joost Hagen, Katrin John and Tonio Sebastian Richter: “The DDGLC project” (April 28, 2010, in the framework of the conference Linguistic Borrowing into Coptic at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig)