Erik Kiesel

Erik Kiesel is a Research Associate at the Egyptian Museum Bonn and doctoral candidate at the University of Bonn's Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, specializing in Egyptology through the Book of the Dead Project 2.0 and collaborations with Emory University.

Educational background:

• Doctoral studies since 2025
• Master's degree in Archaeology with Egyptology focus (2021-2024), thesis: "Rare but Persistent: PT 247-250 and its Continuation in the Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead. A Text-Critical Study" (Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ludwig D. Morenz & Dr. Stefan Bojowald)
• Bachelor's degree in Archaeology and Philosophy with Egyptology focus (until 2021), thesis: "In Search of the Proto-King's Beard: An Investigation of Egyptian Beard Representations in the Pre- and Protodynastic Period" (Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Ludwig D. Morenz & David Sabel MA)

His research centers on ancient Egyptian funerary texts across historical periods, analyzing transmission mechanisms between Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and Book of the Dead corpora. Secondary focus examines royal iconography development, particularly Proto- and Early Dynastic beard symbolism as indicators of kingship evolution.

Professional roles include:

• Research Associate, Book of the Dead Project 2.0 (since 2025)
• Research Associate, Egyptian Museum Bonn (since 2024)
• Student assistant for library/projects/tutoring (until 2023)

Membership spans the Working Group for Christian Archaeology, Association of Egyptology, and Association for the Promotion of the Egyptian Museum of the University of Bonn.

Lecture engagements demonstrate active scholarly contribution: Current Research in Egyptology 25 (Cairo, 2025), Collaborative Research Grant with Emory University (Bonn, 2024), and New Research in North Rhine-Westphalia conferences (2021-2024).