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Associated Professor in Egyptian Archaeology and Heritage
Tel: 01570-424929
E-mail: k.zinn@uwtsd.ac.uk
Role in the University
- Associate Professor in Egyptian Archaeology and Heritage wihtin the Insitutte of Education and Humanities
- Institute Manager of Research Degrees, Institute of Education and Humanities
- Board of the Doctoral College
- Institute Member of the Research Degrees Committee
- Programme Manager Professional Doctorate (ProfDoc) Heritage
- Director of Studies and supervisor for MRes, PhD and ProfDoc students in the areas of heritage, museum studies, Egyptology, archaeology and literacy across several 窪蹋勛圖厙 institutes
- Mentor to applicants in the HEA Fellowship Scheme (F, SF)
Background
I am an interdisciplinary Egyptologist applying methods and approaches from material culture studies, archaeology, heritage, museum studies, anthropology and reception studies. My latest projects connect me with a wide range of artists (fine art, photography, computer generated art, dance, ballet, poetry) interpreting Egyptological and archaeological museum objects to a wide range of audiences in and outside museum settings. I love research and teaching; always attempting to combine both. This wide area of interest informs my teaching and supervising from foundation courses to doctoral level.
I studied Library Science, followed by Egyptology, Media Science and Business at Leipzig University, Germany where I also did my PhD in Egyptology. I worked in different roles in universities in Germany, China and UK. In addition to the HE sector, I worked in libraries and museums in Germany, Egypt, USA and UK.
In 2006 I moved to the UK and taught Egyptology, archaeology and heritage at Cambridge University, Swansea University and 窪蹋勛圖厙. During the academic year 2023/24, I was awarded a Visiting Professorship in Egyptology at the Institute for the History of the Ancient World, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, PR of China.
Furthermore, I delivered week-long workshops at GAFA (Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts) and XAFA (Xian Academy of Fine Arts).
Member Of
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
- AHRC Peer Review College (academic, international)
- UKRI Talent Peer Review College (international)
- Egypt Exploration Society (EES)
- International Council Of Museums (ICOM) - voting membership to CIPEG (International Committee for Egyptology)
- IAE (International Association of Egyptologists)
- SMA (Society of Museum Archaeology)
- Museum Association
Academic Interests
My teaching and research interests lie in the areas of material culture and its representation in museums, as well as heritage in its social and cultural contexts with special focus on museums and public engagement. I also cover identity and memory (historically and contemporary), religion, art and gender, using ancient Egypt as the civilisation which provides most of my case studies. I also trace the modern reception of the past. A large part of both of my teaching and research is focused on decolonising Egyptology, especially unpacking collections.
I teach several module covering foundation studies, undergraduate and postgraduate modules. My teaching is research-led and focuses on the materiality of the Egyptian culture with emphasis on art, religion and identity as well as theoretically informed interpretations of heritage and cultural memory. I am also looking at the feasibility of applications of anthropological theories and concepts to ancient cultures. My courses are covering ancient Egyptian religion, history and social history, art and architecture as well as interconnections with neighbouring countries. Furthermore, I give language classes on Middle Egyptian (hieroglyphs). I am also very active in covering the areas of museum, libraries and archives as part of heritage and focus on comparatist approaches.
I am currently supervise research students (MRes, PhD, ProfDoc) in the areas of Egyptology, heritage and museum studies.
I acted as external examiner for MRes, MPhil and PhD examinations nationally and internationally and as well as external examiner for programmes at Cambridge University (Egyptology within the Archaeological Tripos) and Chester University (MA, MSC Heritage) and to several programme validations.
Research Interests
My current research project deals with narratives of tangible and intangible heritage based on object biographies of un-provenanced and forgotten museum objects. This project developed out of my current additional position as Associated Curator of the Oriental Collection of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil as well as several voluntary, curatorial or research positions in different museums previously.
I am combining student research (undergraduate and graduate level) with my own research agenda and curate annual pop-up exhibitions with objects from Cyfarthfa Castle including independent student research led by myself. This project includes the sub-project THE MUSEUM OF LIES which collects creative responses to said objects as co-productive and practice-led endeavours.
Further interests:
- Material Culture /Museology and Egyptology
- The Egyptian Collection of the Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil (Wales) Cooperation with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David
- The Museum of Lies project
- Scarabs in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
- Middle Kingdom Lisht material, including re-used Old Kingdom blocks (Princeton University Art Museum Cataloguing Project)
- Theoretically informed approaches to materiality and heritage
- Heritage and identity (tangible / intangible heritage, cultural heritage)
- Object biographies Narratives of material culture
- Lost / forgotten / unloved objects
- Provenanced unprovenanced objects
- Modern art as interpretation
- Anthropology of the Past: Anthropology, Egyptology and Ancient China comparative aspects of Ancient Civilisations:
- Art
- (Non-)Materiality, New Materialism
- Religion and Spirituality, Sacred Landscapes
- Gender
- Identity
- Sensuality
- FoodStuffs
- Transmission of Knowledge and Aspects of Memory
- Cultural Memory and Memory studies
- Literacy as cultural phenomenon
- Libraries and Archives in Ancient Egypt
- Knowledge and Wisdom in Ancient Egypt
Expertise
My expertise falls into the following categories:
- Egyptology: religion, gender, heritage, literacy, art
- Museum studies: representations of the past, pop-up exhibitions, object biographies, alternative (non-)academic narratives, public engagement
- Art, Archaeology, Heritage: the cross-over of creative processes and Humanities
- Digital Humanities
- Heritage: tangible and intangible cultural heritage, identity, decolonising heritage
I invite declarations of interest to supervise research students in these areas.
Enterprise, Commercial and Consultancy Activities
- Associate Curator for the Egyptian Collection of Cyfarthfa Castle Museums and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil
- Member of the Advisory Panel of Scarborough Museum Trust
- Lead of the long-term project The Oriental Collection of Cyfarthfa Castle Museums and Art Gallery
- Curator of annual temporary pop-up exhibitions (including the Museum of Lies project) with outreach and public engagement programme
- Academic Lead Museums Portalis Project
Curated exhibitions
Autumn 2025: Opening up the storage rooms together The Egyptian Collection of Cyfarthfa Castle and the joined project with 窪蹋勛圖厙, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, Merthyr Tydfil (Yellow Room)
May 2025: Experiencing Ancient Egyptian Art: Artefacts from Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, Merthyr Tydfil including the Museum of Lies project
May 2019: Beyond the tomb? Ancient Egyptian Artefact from Cyfarthfa Castle Museum 窪蹋勛圖厙 including the Museum of Lies project
May June 2018: I have flown up in primeval time Ancient Egyptian Funerary Beliefs 窪蹋勛圖厙 including the Museum of Lies project
June 2017: The Materiality of the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife 窪蹋勛圖厙 including the Museum of Lies project
April June 2017: Egyptomania The Harry Hartley Southey Collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, Merthyr Tydfil (New Gallery) (co-curated)
June 2016: Six feet under? Funerary aspects of Egyptian culture, 窪蹋勛圖厙
May 2014: FoodStuffs Food in time and space: Egypt China Wales - 窪蹋勛圖厙
July 2013: History, Politics and Kingship: Ancient Egypt and China in Merthyr Tydfill - Roderic Bowen Libraries and Archive, Lampeter
June 2012: Scarabs and Dragons A taste of Ancient Egypt in Lampeter Roderic Bowen Libraries and Archive, Lampeter
Publications
Edited volumes
L. Steel, K. Zinn (eds.). Exploring the materiality of Food Stuffs: Transformations, symbolic consumption and embodiments. London: Routledge, 2017.
Jansen, T. Chinaliteratur in der Universit瓣tsbibliothek Leipzig (1500-1939). Eine systematische Bibliographie [Books on China in the Leipzig University Library (1500-1939: A Systematic Bibliography]. Teil 1: Werke in westlichen Sprachen [Works in Western Languages]. With the collaboration of G. Schlesinger, R. Teschke and K. Zinn. Leipzig: Leipziger Universit瓣tsverlag, 2003.
Articles and book 窪蹋勛圖厙s (Selection)
The Museum of Lies: Incorrect facts or advancing knowledge of ancient Egypt? Journal of History and Cultures (2019) Special Issue 10: Myth and Magic: Interdisciplinary Readings of the Reception of Ancient Egypt. 165-190. Available online
Dance. In: L. Sabbahi (ed.). All Things Ancient Egypt: An Encyclopedia of the Ancient Egyptian World. Santa Barbara, Ca.: ABC-Clio, 2019; 119-123.
Libraries. In: L. Sabbahi (ed.). All Things Ancient Egypt: An Encyclopedia of the Ancient Egyptian World. Santa Barbara, Ca.: ABC-Clio, 2019; 307-311.
Scarab. In: L. Sabbahi (ed.). All Things Ancient Egypt: An Encyclopedia of the Ancient Egyptian World. Santa Barbara, Ca.: ABC-Clio, 2019; 463-465.
Literacy in Pharaonic Egypt: Orality and Literacy between Agency and Memory. In: A. Kolb (ed.). Literacy in Ancient Everyday Life - Schriftlichkeit im antiken Alltag. Berlin, Boston: De Guyter, 2018, 67-98.
Did you sleep well on your headrest? Anthropological Perspectives on an Ancient Egyptian Implement. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 17(2018),&紳莉莽梯;202219.
Object Biographies and Political Expectations: Egyptian Artefacts, Welsh Heritage and the Regional Community Museum. In: G. Rosati and M.C. Guidotti (eds.). Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2017, 693-700.
Introduction: Exploring the materiality of Food Stuffs: Transformations, symbolic consumption and embodiments (together with L. Steel). In: L. Steel, K. Zinn (eds.). Exploring the materiality of Food Stuffs: Transformations, symbolic consumption and embodiments. London: Routledge, 2017, 1-11.
Lacklustre offering plates? Symbolic Food Consumption, Ritual, and Representations in ancient Egyptian funerary culture. In: L. Steel, K. Zinn (eds.). Exploring the materiality of Food Stuffs: Transformations, symbolic consumption and embodiments. London: Routledge, 2017, 205-225.
Shaping Welsh identity? Egyptian Objects and Intangible Heritage. The Ancient Near East Today 4 (2016) 6.
Nofretete eine K繹nigin ihrer Zeit? In: M. Eldamaty, F. Hoffmann, M. Minas-Nerpel (eds.) K繹niginnen in gypten,. Vaterstetten: Brose, 2015, 27-67.
- For more, please see
Exhibition catalogues (edited):
- Beyond the tomb? Ancient Egyptian Artefact from Cyfarthfa Castle Museum Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2019.
- I have flown up in premieval time Ancient Egyptian Funerary Beliefs. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2018.
- The Materiality of the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2017.
- Six feet under? Funerary aspects of Egyptian culture. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2016.
- FoodStuffs Food in time and space: Egypt China Wales. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2014.
- History, Politics and Kingship: Ancient Egypt and China in Merthyr Tydfill. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2013.
- Scarabs and Dragons: A taste of Ancient Egypt in Lampeter. Lampeter: 窪蹋勛圖厙, 2012.
Submitted publications in review process
- Material Culture, the Public and the Extraordinary unloved museum objects as the tool to fascinate Engaging the Public, Heritage and Educators through Material Culture Research (Special Edition of Open Archaeology, 2024).
- MOVING OBJECTS: Futuring and enhancing Ancient Egypt through Modern Art (Proceedings of the 13th International Congress of Egyptologists, Leiden, 2023. Egyptologische Uitgaven. Leuven: Peeters , Leiden: The Netherlands Institute for the Near East, 2025)