Osiris Cult Development Professors and Supervisors

Christian LeitzView profile

Professor

University of TübingenGermany

Christian Leitz is a Full Professor of Egyptology at the Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tübingen. He has held visiting professorships at École Pratique des Hautes Études (2007), Collège de France (2009), and Cairo University (2013). As director of the 'Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen' project since 1999, he leads significant research in Egyptian religious and scientific texts. PhD in Egyptology (1989, Marburg/Göttingen) Habilitation (1993, Cologne) His research focuses on Egyptian religion, science, and Greco-Roman temple inscriptions. He pioneered studies on hemerologies , astronomical chronology , and magical medical texts . His publications include critical analyses of the Pyramidentexte , Papyrus Ebers , and temple rituals, with particular emphasis on the interplay between religion and natural observation . Key research trends include systematic analysis of temple inscriptions (Athribis, Dendara, Esna) and decoding the chronological logic in Egyptian texts. His work spans epigraphy, mythology, and material culture studies. Gerhard-Hess-Price of the DFG (1995) Offermann-Hergarten-Foundation award (1994) Heisenberg Fellowship (1993-1998) Leitz leads international collaborations including the Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter series and contributes to publications like Studien zur spätägyptischen Religion . He participates in excavations at Athribis and Akhmim, analyzing artifacts such as the Sarg des Panehemisis and developing methodologies for studying temple texts.

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Jürg HutzliView profile

Lecturer

University of LausanneSwitzerland

Jürg Hutzli is a Swiss academic specializing in Hebrew Bible studies, currently serving as a Maître d'enseignement et de recherche (suppléant) at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and University of Geneva (UNIGE) since 2021. Affiliated with the Institut romand des sciences bibliques (IRSB) and the UMR 7192 research group at Collège de France, his work bridges textual criticism, Priestly literature analysis, and Ancient Near Eastern contextual studies. Research focuses: Priestly texts in Genesis-Exodus Deuteronomistic historiography Ancient Hebrew text transmission Samuel-Kings narrative traditions Material aspects of biblical text production Aramaic documents and their Hebrew Bible connections Key contributions include 2023 monograph The Origins of P (Mohr Siebeck) analyzing priestly text stratification, and 2016-2021 publications on Davidic theology, Genesis cosmology, and scribal interventions. His 2011 study on 'îr dāwād in Samuel/Kings challenged conventional Jerusalem identifications, while 2015 work explored sacred tree motifs in Pentateuch translations. Academic affiliations span multiple societies: Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), Société Suisse de théologie, Société Asiatique, and editorial membership at Semitica journal. His 2016-2019 Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS) research focused on Pentateuchal textuality, and 2009-2011 Collège de France work examined priestly diachrony.

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Kata JasperView profile

Assistant Professor

Eötvös Loránd UniversityHungary

Kata Jasper is an Assistant Professor at Eötvös Loránd University in the field of Egyptology . Her research focuses on the intersection of ancient Egyptian religion , textual transmission , and Nubian cultural studies . She has authored and co-authored numerous publications on these topics, particularly centering on the deity Ha ('Lord of the West') and his role in Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom textual traditions. Her academic work explores: Iconographic and orthographic variations of Ha's name in regional contexts Scribal practices in Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts Magical spell development and funerary rituals Comparative mythology between Egyptian deities (Horus, Osiris, Sopdu) Nubian ethnography, food culture, and tourism impacts Key trends in her publications include: Systematic analysis of Horus cippi and Magical texts Investigations into Western Desert symbolism and afterlife journeys Documenting Nubian social dynamics and cultural preservation While no scientific awards are documented, her work demonstrates significant engagement with textual criticism , regional paleography , and deity-personification studies . She has supervised no explicitly listed students but has collaborated with scholars like Dr. Tamás A. Bács and Julianna Kitti Paksi.

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Mary-Ann Pouls WegnerView profile

Associate Professor

University of TorontoCanada

Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner is an Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Toronto , Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, where she has taught since 2000. Her research focuses on the interplay between archaeology and material culture , social organization , and ritual practices in ancient Egypt. Research Interests : Wegner specializes in the archaeology of Abydos , a site central to Egyptian postmortem transformation. Her work examines how landscape geography symbolizes the Netherworld (Duat) and how ritual performance shaped cultural identity. She integrates anthropological approaches to analyze social structures and material culture. Publications highlight her leadership in the Toronto Abydos Votive Zone Project , including discoveries of Thutmose III's chapels , Hatshepsut's statue , and funerary ceramics . Her methodological contributions include SiteMap software for archaeological surveying. Academic Service : As a graduate faculty member, she supervises MA and Ph.D. students in Egyptology and Near Eastern Archaeology, emphasizing hands-on research through fieldwork and museum collections like the Royal Ontario Museum. Key Projects : Since 1996, she has directed the Abydos Votive Zone Project , a collaboration between the University of Toronto, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and New York University. This project explores ceremonial landscapes , votive deposits , and long-term ritual continuity at Abydos.

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Josef W. WegnerView profile

Professor

University of PennsylvaniaUnited States

Josef W. Wegner is a Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Department Chair at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. He also serves as Curator of the Egyptian Section at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. His research focuses on Egypt's Middle Kingdom, particularly the mortuary complexes and administrative systems of pharaohs like Senwosret III. He leads excavations at South Abydos and has authored major works on Middle Kingdom archaeology, including The Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III (2007) and co-edited volumes such as Archaism and Innovation (2009). His work is supported by grants from institutions like the National Science Foundation and National Geographic Society. Education: BA (1989), PhD (1996) in Egyptology from University of Pennsylvania Research interests include state administration, settlement patterns, and religious developments in ancient Egypt. His excavations at South Abydos have uncovered critical insights into pharaonic governance and mortuary practices. Current projects include editing the Blackwell Companion to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and completing a book on the mayoral residence of Wah-Sut in Abydos. Awards/Grants: ARC Fellowship (American Research Center in Egypt) NSF Grant NEH Grant National Geographic Society Funding Advising/Grants: Wegner's research integrates fieldwork with theoretical analysis, supported by multidisciplinary grants. He collaborates internationally through the Penn-Yale-IFA Expedition to Abydos. Labs/Teams: Leads the Penn Museum's Egyptian Section team and coordinates international archaeological expeditions at Abydos.

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Laurent CoulonView profile

Professor

Paris Sciences et Lettres UniversityFrance

Laurent Coulon, a distinguished Egyptologist, serves as Professor at the Collège de France since 2023, holding the chair The Civilization of Pharaonic Egypt . His research integrates archaeology, philology, and anthropology to explore ancient Egyptian religion, particularly the evolution of the Osiris cult from the Old Kingdom to the Mediterranean expansion. École normale supérieure alumnus with agrégation in Classics Director of the Institut français d'archéologie orientale (2019-2023) His work spans Pharaonic court dynamics , Osirian imagery , and digital humanities projects like the Late Egyptian Artefact Database. Coulon's publications critically examine religious continuity, literary conventions, and cross-cultural interactions with Classical antiquity. Recent trends in his research include statuary corpora analysis , temple organizational studies , and anthropological approaches to divine representation . He leads archaeological missions at Karnak and Oxyrhynchos, emphasizing epigraphic and material culture synthesis.

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Sandrine VuilleumierView profile

Professor

University of BaselSwitzerland

Prof. Dr. Sandrine Vuilleumier holds the Faculty of Humanities professorship at the University of Basel Department of Classical Studies , specializing in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of Egyptian religious practices and textual materiality. Her work examines Evolution of Osirian cult rituals in multicultural Ptolemaic contexts Paleographic analysis of hieroglyphic-hieratic script transitions Funerary composition practices in Greco-Roman Thebes Recent publications investigate cursive hieroglyph adaptations in scribal practices and theological shifts in local goddess worship at Deir el-Medina. She leads ongoing projects on Greco-Roman period burials and serves as Principal Investigator for the Au-delà des texts and Deir el-Medina initiatives. Her email is sandrine.vuilleumier@unibas.ch .

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