Gösta Gabriel

PD Dr. Gösta Gabriel is a Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator of the DFG Independent Junior Research Group 'Mythical Literary Works of the Old Babylonian Period as Epistemic Artefacts' at Freie Universität Berlin's Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies. His research focuses on ancient Mesopotamian literary traditions, ritual practices, and socio-cultural dynamics. He holds a postdoctoral qualification (Habilitation) in Altorientalistik and leads a team examining textual artifacts as knowledge systems.

Research Interests: Specializes in Old Babylonian literary works, ritual laments, and the socio-cultural role of material culture. Explores intersections between emotion studies, textual analysis, and archaeological contexts. Current projects investigate the epistemic functions of mythological narratives and the symbolic significance of foodstuffs like beer in ancient Mesopotamian societies.

Publications highlight contributions to Routledge Handbook of Emotions in the Ancient Near East (2022). His work bridges literary analysis, archaeology, and cultural anthropology to reconstruct ancient knowledge systems. Active in Open Access initiatives, including the 'Écoute ma tablette !' project (2025).

Funding: Recipient of a DFG Emmy Noether Research Group grant (Emmy Noether-Program) supporting innovative junior researcher-led projects.