Miriam Said

Miriam Said is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University, School of Arts and Sciences. She specializes in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean art of the 1st millennium BCE, focusing on materiality, magic, and museum histories. Her research explores apotropaic objects like Mesopotamian demon amulets, emphasizing their ritual functions and material experiences.

Education:

• PhD, University of California, Berkeley (2020)
• MA, University of California, Berkeley (2014)
• BA, Syracuse University (2009)

Research Interests:

• Materiality of ancient objects
• Technologies of magic and gender
• Intersection of pop culture with antiquity
• Ritual functions of apotropaic artifacts

Teaching: Courses include 'Art and Magic in the Ancient World,' 'Art of Empire: Assyria & Babylon,' and 'Theories & Methods in Art History.'

Professional Experience:

• Formerly worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, and The Walters Art Museum
• Supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation and Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts