Elena Luise Hertel

Dr. Elena Luise Hertel is an affiliated researcher at the University of Hamburg’s Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC). She holds a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Basel (2024) and specializes in ancient Egyptian cursive scripts (Hieratic, Abnormal Hieratic, Demotic), focusing on materiality, writing across media, and cultural change during Egypt’s Late Bronze and Iron Ages. Her current project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, investigates the use of cursive script on stelae during the Third Intermediate Period. She also serves as Principal Investigator for this project (2025–2027). During her Petra Kappert Fellowship (Oct 2024–Mar 2025), she prepared interdisciplinary collaborations, finalized publications, and established technical frameworks for 3D scanning of stelae inscriptions.

Education: PhD in Egyptology, University of Basel (2024); studies in Egyptology in Germany and the Netherlands.

Research Focus: Materiality of writing, cultural transitions in ancient Egypt, and stelae inscriptions. Her work bridges archaeological and textual analysis, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to manuscript cultures.

Projects & Labs: Leading a project on stelae inscriptions, integrating digital technologies like 3D scanning. Collaborates with scholars across disciplines at CSMC to explore script use beyond traditional media contexts.