Ancient Culture Studies

ToRS has subsumed Native American Languages and Cultures, Assyriology, Egyptology, and Near Eastern Archaeology in Ancient Culture Studies. These distinct areas of study share a focus on material culture, language, and history, and provide a broad chronological range that complements the geographical diversity of the department as a whole.

Ancient Culture Studies at ToRS is a unique constellation of subjects in the Nordic context. It has a strong research environment with internationally leading scholars and hosts several large research projects. Its impressive research output, combined with an outstanding track record of raising external funding, ensures that the subject group, as well as the individual subjects, enjoy international recognition.

Ongoing fieldwork in the Middle East and Central America, including collaborations with scholars in host nations, means that Ancient Culture Studies constitutes an important link between Denmark and the global community. They also play a key role in disseminating knowledge about our shared human past to the wider public.

 

Archaeology

Egyptology

  • Collaborations with University of Seville (excavations in Luxor), and with an ERC Advanced grant in Berlin (PI B. Schipper).

Native American Languages and Cultures

 

 

Papyrus Carlsberg Collection – houses the only surviving Egyptian temple library, with ongoing research projects and international collaborations.

The Archaeological Collections and Archives contain tens of thousands of artefacts, fieldwork records and personal archives from past and recent excavations in the Middle East. Much of the material is actively under study and used in teaching. Examples:  

  • Beidha and Shqarat Msiad excavations (Neolithic) archives including finds are stored in the department
  • Archives of the Mt. Nebo Survey, Jordan
  • Tell Mashanaqa excavation (Ubaid) archives and finds are stored in the department
  • Data files and archives from the excavations and World Heritage promotion of Al Zubarah, Qatar.

 

 

The Archaeological Laboratory contains a range of equipment for the analysis of archaeological objects, including several microscopes, 3D scanner and sampling materials.

The Digital Imaging Laboratory was recently built up with a grant from the Carlsberg Foundation and is used to create high-resolution images of archaeological objects. 

 

 

Changing Foodways in Prehistoric Southwest Asia

Funding: Independent Research Fund Denmark
Project period: 2018-2023
Contact: Tobias Richter

Hidden Treasures: The Cuneiform Collection of the Danish National Museum

Funding: Carlsberg, Augustinus, and Edubba Foundations
Project period: 2019-2022
Contact: Nicole Brisch

 

archaeology

Ancient DNA hints at diverse Stone Age traditions of kinship

An international team of researchers have used ancient genomes, 22 new genomes from Aşıklı Höyük and Çatalhöyük, a UNESCO site, as well as published ones from Boncuklu Höyük and Barcın to study people whose burials are associated with some of the 8,000-10,000 year-old houses in Anatolia. In some villages, houses were used for burials of biological family members. But in other communities, like Çatalhöyük, many children and babies with no apparent biological kinship were buried within the same buildings. The results, published today in Current Biology, emphasize the remarkable diversity of kinship types in ancient human societies.

Chronolog

Journal for and by students at Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies.

Researchers

Name Title Job responsibilities Phone E-mail
Arbøll, Troels Pank Assistant Professor Assyriology +4535333873 E-mail
Brisch, Nicole External Researcher Assyriology +4551300763 E-mail
Canger, Una Associate Professor Emerita American Indian Studies E-mail
Cao, Alice PhD Student Near Eastern Archaeology +4535323687 E-mail
Dietz, Søren Affiliate Professor Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail
Frandsen, Paul John Associate Professor Emeritus Egyptology E-mail
Haddow, Scott Donald Teaching Assistant Professor Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail
Hagen, Fredrik Norland Professor Egyptology +4551300094 E-mail
Halvorsen, Asta Salicath PhD Fellow Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail
Hansen, Magnus Pharao Associate Professor American Indian Studies +4523477826 E-mail
Helmke, Christophe Associate Professor American Indian Studies +4551302945 E-mail
Jörgensen Lindahl, Anne External Researcher Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail
Kerner, Susanne Associate Professor Near Eastern Archaeology +4551302871 E-mail
Langeland-Knudsen, Mikkel Research Assistant Egyptology +4535325356 E-mail
Larsen, Mogens Trolle Associate Professor Emeritus Assyriology E-mail
Miranda Juarez, Vanessa Postdoc American Indian Studies +4535329167 E-mail
Nehammer, Julie Babette Teaching Assistant Professor American Indian Studies E-mail
Nett, Seraina Teaching Assistant Professor Assyriology E-mail
Nielsen, Jesper Associate Professor - Promotion Programme American Indian Studies +4551302421 E-mail
Olsen, Rune Rasmus Postdoc Egyptology E-mail
Pedersen, Patrick Nørskov Postdoc Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail
Richter, Tobias Associate Professor - Promotion Programme Near Eastern Archaeology +4525845120 E-mail
Rosén, Frederik Ferdinand Affiliate Associate Professor Cultural heritage E-mail
Ryholt, Kim Professor Egyptology +4551300126 E-mail
Thuesen, Ingolf Associate Professor Near Eastern Archaeology +4535328906 E-mail
Yeomans, Lisa External Researcher Near Eastern Archaeology E-mail