Gina Konstantopoulos

Gina Konstantopoulos is an Associate Professor in Assyriology and Cuneiform Studies at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, UCLA, where she also serves as Undergraduate Advisor. Her research focuses on religion, magic, and literature in Mesopotamia, particularly demons and monsters in Sumerian and Akkadian texts, and the conceptualization of space in ancient empires. She holds a PhD from the University of Michigan (2015) with prior fellowships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the University of Würzburg. Her work bridges ancient texts with modern cultural reception, exploring themes like liminal spaces, narrative structures, and the intersection of geography and empire.

Education

• 2015 PhD, University of Michigan, Near Eastern Studies
• 2010 MA, University of Michigan, Near Eastern Studies
• 2007 BA, Mount Holyoke College, Asian Studies

Research Interests

Her research spans Sumerian/Akkadian languages and literature, spatial theory, religious rituals, and demonology. She examines how ancient Mesopotamians conceptualized distant lands, divine authority through incantations, and the role of demons in societal narratives. Recent work analyzes modern adaptations of Mesopotamian myths in popular culture, such as comic books and horror genres.

Publications Highlights

Her 2023 book The Divine/Demonic Seven and the Place of Demons in Mesopotamia explores demonological hierarchies. She co-edited As Above, So Below: Religion and Geography (2021), linking religious practices to spatial concepts. Her articles include studies on forests as liminal spaces (RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 2022) and gendered interpretations of dreams (Journal of Cuneiform Studies, 2022).

Awards and Fellowships

• Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2014–2015)
• Fellowship at the University of Würzburg (2012–2013)

Grants and Advising

No specific grants are listed, but her postdoctoral research spanned institutions like the University of Tsukuba and NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. She advises students in Assyriology and cuneiform studies through UCLA’s undergraduate program.