Biography
Christina is an Egyptologist focusing on ancient Egyptian funerary and ritual texts, veneration of deceased kings, onomastics, as well as the interplay of geography and religion.
She holds a Magister Artium in Egyptology, Islamic Studies (minor) and Pre- and Early History (minor) from the University of Bonn, Germany, and a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Toronto, Canada.
She has been Lecturer at the University of Toronto and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada, a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at Yale University. Before joining the Archaeology department at Cambridge, she was Departmental Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Oxford, replacing Richard B. Parkinson.
Christina has been the epigrapher and philologist of the University of Toronto North Abydos Votive Zone Project, headed by M.-A. Pouls-Wegner.
Research
- Egyptian religion, specifically ritual landscape and performance as well as funerary and ritual texts
- perception of geography and landscape
My current projects comprise:
- Ancient Egyptian Rituals
- Self-portrait of a country: The ancient Egyptian conceptualization of geography
I am preparing the book Ancient Egyptian Ritual Texts with John C. Darnell for the Writings of the Ancient World Series. The monograph comprises the translations of the most prominent rituals attested from Pharaonic Egypt as well as discussions on the characteristics of rituals, the relationship of myth and ritual, as well as the dramatic aspect and performance of rituals.
The project Self-portrait of a country aims to elaborate on the ancient Egyptians’ awareness and comprehension of the geography of their country, and on their (religious) exploitation of the natural landscape and its features. Part of the project is the study of geographical lemmata, whose classifiers will be analyzed using an approach of cognitive linguistics.
Key Publications
C. Geisen, “A glimpse into the life of a late Middle Kingdom business man: The possessions of the unknown owner of Ramesseum Tomb No. 5.” (forthcoming 2020)
C. Geisen, “Karnak as the stage for a ritual in commemoration of Senwosret I.” In Geisen, C. (ed.). Proceedings of the interdisciplinary conference on Ritual Landscape and Performance, Yale September 23-24, 2016: 47-68. Yale Egyptological Series 13. New Haven: Yale Egyptological Institute, 2020
C. Geisen, A commemoration ritual for Senwosret I – P. BM EA 10610.1-5/P. Ramesseum B (Ramesseum Dramatic Papyrus). Yale Egyptological Series 11. New Haven: Yale Egyptological Institute, 2018
C. Geisen, Die Totentexte des verschollenen Sarges der Königin Mentuhotep aus der 13. Dynastie. Ein Textzeuge aus der Übergangszeit von den Sargtexten zum Totenbuch. Studien zum Altägyptischen Totenbuch 8. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2004
C. Geisen, “Zur zeitlichen Einordnung des Königs Djehuti an das Ende der 13. Dynastie.” Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 32 (2004), 149-157
C. Geisen (ed.), Proceedings of the interdisciplinary conference on Ritual Landscape and Performance, Yale September 23-24, 2016. Yale Egyptological Series 13. New Haven: Yale Egyptological Institute, 2020
C. Geisen, “Merenptah.” In Helmer, C. et al. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Vol. 18. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019
C. Geisen, “Expression of loyalty to the king – a socio-cultural analysis of basilophoric personal names dating to the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Proceedings of the XI International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015: 222-226. Archaeopress Egyptology 19. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2017
C. Geisen, “Two Ramesside Stelae with a pyramidial top.” In: Morenz, L. and El Hawary, A. (eds.), Weitergabe. Festschrift für Ursula Rößler-Köhler zum 65.Geburtstag: 189-195. Göttinger Orientforschungen, IV. Reihe: Ägypten 53. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2015
C. Geisen, “Die Stele des Pa-wah.” In: Müller-Roth, M. und M. Höveler-Müller (eds.), Grenzen des Totenbuchs. Ägyptische Papyri zwischen Grab und Ritual: 125-6. Rahden in Westfalen: Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH, 2012
C. Geisen, Entry “Giza.” In: Bagnall, Roger S. et al. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Ancient History. Vol. VI: 2919-2923. St. Albans: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2012
C. Geisen, Entries “Djed-Pillar”, “Model Coffin”, “Shabti Box”, “Ptah-Sokar-Osiris Figure.” In: Fang, Lin Qui (ed.), Quest for Immortality: 180, 181, 194f., 203. Taipei: Ri Dong Art Publisher, 2011
C. Geisen, “Wisdom Literature – Moral and ethical values of the ancient Egyptians.” The SSEA Newsletter, 2009-10 # 2/3 (2010), 15-16
C. Geisen, “Hidden treasures in the storerooms of the ROM – Papyrus Toronto ROM 978x43.1.” The SSEA Newsletter, Summer 2006 (2006), 1-2
C. Geisen, Review of Grajetzki, W. Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom: The Archaeology of Female Burials. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia, 2014. Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities 42 (2015/16), 137-140
C. Geisen, Review of Grajetzki, W. The coffin of Zemathor and other rectangular coffins of the late Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period. GHP Egyptology 15. London, 2010, Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities 38 (20
Teaching and Supervisions
I have taught language classes covering Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian as well as Hieratic, survey classes on the history and culture of ancient Egypt, as well as topic classes covering all aspects of the ancient Egyptian culture, namely religion, literature, society, daily life, origins of writing, history, art, archaeology, and architecture. I also participated in teaching a museum class. Most of my topic classes focus on the interplay of text and material culture.
At Cambridge I will be teaching:
- E1 Egyptian Language I
- E2 Middle Egyptian Texts
- E3 Old and Late Egyptian Texts
- A29 Archaeology of Religion
Past students
Rowan Foulkes (BA, University of Oxford)
Servane Hardouin (MPhil, University of Oxford, co-supervisor)
Niki Awad (MA, Yale University)
Winter Willoughby-Spera (BA, Yale University)
Second Reader and internal examiner of other BA, MA, and PhD students
Other Professional Activities
Co-editor of the book series, Material & Visual Culture of Ancient Egypt (MVCAE), Lockwood Press, USA
