Fellows

Dr. Hany Eltayeb was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the department from January to March 2020; his six-month fellowship was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Hany returned in 2022 to advance his study of the mastaba of Shepsesre at Saqqara, a key 5th Dynasty monument that has never been properly documented. Shepsesre was a high official who held numerous important titles, and seems to have been particularly favored by King Djedkare. His mastaba is noteworthy for its size, architectural complexity, and the beauty of its relief and painted decoration. Of particular interest for The Met is the possible relationship between Shepsesre and Perneb, the owner of the mastaba at the entrance to Egyptian Art’s galleries; the two structures were connected architecturally, suggesting the individuals were related, though to date there is no pictorial or textual evidence proving a connection.

Heba joined the Department of Egyptian Art as a Fulbright scholar as part of her PhD research in Heritage and Museum Studies. Her thesis revolves around collection management and documentation policies and practices in Egyptian museums. During her time at The Met, she investigated how collections management and documentation policies and practices shape the Museum’s collections information and knowledge paradigms. She also explored ways in which this information is integrated into existing collections databases while informing changes in museum policy, supporting the development of permanent and temporary exhibitions, expanding collections accessibility, tracking staff roles, and documenting acquisitions. 

Jun's project examined the "proscription" of Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh whose monuments were systematically erased following her death. While this has often been interpreted as a vengeful act by her successor, more recent findings suggest that the destruction only began decades after her death. As a result, the reason for the attacks remains largely obscure. Jun's research involves the systematic documentation and analysis of the destruction, so that its motive can be better understood. During his fellowship, Jun worked on The Met’s collection of Hatshepsut’s statuary, as well as relevant archival material.

Amy joined the Department of Egyptian Art as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow to assist Diana Craig Patch, Lila Acheson Wallace Curator in Charge, with the organization and development of a forthcoming exhibition. While at The Met, Amy’s work was diverse and included identifying and researching important objects for the exhibition, translating ancient Egyptian texts, and contributing to the exhibition catalogue.

During the Vilcek Curatorial Fellowship year, Sophie had the opportunity to receive curatorial training, contribute to projects in the Department of Egyptian Art, and expand her dissertation research as she studies Predynastic Period (ca. 3700–3300 B.C.) objects in The Met’s collection. She also included research she has conducted on objects in other institutions with her analysis of The Met’s pieces to propose an explanation of the scenes on decorated vessels from this early period of ancient Egyptian culture.

Dr. Hany Eltayeb was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the department from January to March 2020; his six-month fellowship was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, Dr. Hany was able to advance his study of the mastaba of Shepsesre at Saqqara, a key 5th Dynasty monument that has never been properly documented. Shepsesre was a high official who held numerous important titles, and seems to have been particularly favored by King Djedkare. His mastaba is noteworthy for its size, architectural complexity, and the beauty of its relief and painted decoration. Of particular interest for The Met is the possible relationship between Shepsesre and Perneb, the owner of the mastaba at the entrance to Egyptian Art’s galleries; the two structures were connected architecturally, suggesting the individuals were related, though to date there is no pictorial or textual evidence proving a connection.

Archaeological remains are inextricably related with contemporary issues, such as the specific social attitudes of particular eras and historically contingent notions of provenance. Compiling geographical provenance with stylistic and epigraphic criteria helps to pinpoint an object’s exact origin. Focusing on internal and external documentation, such as excavation reports, dealer’s labels on objects, correspondence, and invoices help us to retrace the provenance of museum objects. For this fellowship, Maxence is working with various types of unpublished documentation from The Met’s collection, allowing him to study the memoryscape of specific artifacts by carrying out counter-diachronic research.

Vera's dissertation seeks to reconcile the ideas of economic development, political fragmentation, and "artistic decline" in ancient Egypt by investigating the dynamics of the production system of funerary commodities during the 25th and 26th Dynasties (ca. 743–525 B.C.). The first millennium B.C. was a time of political fragmentation, war, foreign invasion, and drastic changes in funerary rituals. Overall, funerary spaces became smaller and burial assemblages became simpler in design and more limited in the number of artifacts they included. While the elaborate art of earlier periods is traditionally associated with social inequality, Vera suggests that the "artistic decline" in the first half of the first millennium B.C. marks a decrease in social inequality and a broader distribution of wealth.