Egyptology

Specialisation of: Classics and Ancient Civilisations
Degree: Master of Arts in Classics and Ancient Civilisations
Mode of Study: Full-time
Duration: 1 year
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60821
Share |

The MA in Egyptology covers the linguistic and cultural history of Egypt from the Pharaonic times to Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egypt. Do you have a background in ancient history, Near Eastern studies or archaeology and are you interested in gaining more in-depth knowledge of ancient Egypt?
Or do you have a BA in Egyptology and do you want to pursue your interests and specialise further? Then Leiden’s MA degree in Egyptology is the ideal programme for you.
The programme offers a wide range of approaches and topics to meet your interests. Part of the curriculum takes place in Egypt.

With effect from September 2012, this programme will be offered as a specialisation within the Classics and Ancient Civilisations programme.

The department of Egyptology is housed in one of the world’s most reputable Egyptological libraries, the library of the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), giving you ready access to the library’s extensive materials for your study and research. Part of your programme will take place in Egypt, where you will gain essential knowledge and experience in field and research projects.

Leiden University’s MA in Egyptology traces its roots back to the 19th century, when the city’s National Museum of Antiquities acquired and started to study its famous collection of Egyptian antiquities. The present programme—the only one of its kind in the Netherlands— combines this tradition with the most up-to-date findings from international scholarship.

The MA programme’s wide-ranging curriculum covers most of the linguistic and cultural history of Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egypt. Both students with a BA in Egyptology, and those with a BA degree related to the study of the ancient Mediterranean world are welcome to apply. If you hold a BA in Egyptology you will further deepen the knowledge you gained in your BA study; if your BA degree is in the ancient Mediterranean world, you will follow a more introductory programme.

Regardless of the focus you choose, you will visit excavations and research projects in Egypt and will learn about the department’s own field and research projects, including excavations at Saqqara and the Dakhla Oasis.

The staff members co-operate with fellow researchers from universities and research institutes in Germany, Egypt, France, Italy, Poland and the United States, on project topics covering:

  • Egyptian art history
  • Egyptian archaeology
  • Egyptian religion
  • Coptic Egypt
  • The social and economic history of Ancient Egypt

As a student of the MA in Egyptology you will benefit from the fact that these wide-ranging research activities form an integral part of the educational programme.

Prof. Olaf Kaper

Olaf Kaper

“We offer our master’s students a broad range of opportunities to conduct archaeological research in Egypt.”

“My specialist field is the Graeco-Roman period in Egypt. Starting around 300 BC, there was a transition from Pharaonic culture to modern Hellenistic culture: Egypt then became part of the Eastern Mediterranean world.

I find the process of cultural change fascinating. We are well able to document these changes using all kinds of sources, some of which we ourselves have excavated. Every year I go with a group of master’s students to the Western Desert to carry out research there.

We offer our master’s students a broad range of opportunities to conduct research in Egypt. As early as the second block, they go to Cairo to learn about archaeological research, to visit particular institutions and to meet colleagues.
There is the opportunity for two students – if they are successful in their application – to work in Saqqara on the excavations organised by Leiden’s Egyptology department, in co-operation with the National Museum of Antiquities. Leiden has a long history in the field of Egyptology because of this museum, which, since the start of the nineteenth century has housed a famous collection of Egyptian antiquities.

My specialism is very dynamic. Interesting finds are constantly being made on the many sites under excavation. This is what makes Egyptology so exiting. With their own research and their master’s thesis, master’s students can make a real contribution to this field.”