Panagiotis Kousoulis is Associate Professor of Egyptology, Deputy Head at the Department of Mediterranean Studies, Director of Studies of the M.A. Programme “Archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean from Prehistoric Period to Late Antiquity: Greece, Egypt, Near East” and Director of the Laboratory for the Ancient World of the Eastern Mediterranean. He obtained his BA in Archaeology and History of Art at the National and Capodistrian University of Athens (1993), his MA in Egyptology at the University of Birmingham (1995) and his Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool (1999). He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the State Scholarship’s Foundation of Greece at the University of Liverpool (2001-2002), and Visiting Scholar at the same University (2006, 2008). He is the representative of Greece at the Council of the International Association of Egyptologists (2008-2015), scientific collaborator of the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Arabic Republic of Egypt (Athens, 2005 till today) and research member of many Egyptological and archaeological societies: the American Academy of Religion (2010-2011, invited scholar in the 49th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, 19-22/11/2011, panel: The Mediterranean Material Cultures and the Study of Religion – Understanding the Past), the American Research Center in Egypt (2003 till today), the Egypt Exploration Society (1997 till today) and the Societas Magica (2014 till today).
His research interests include the Egyptian belief system (ontology, theology, demonology, ritual, magic), the Egyptian language (Middle and Late Egyptian) and script (hieroglyphic, hieratic, Ptolemaic inscriptions), the Egyptian funerary ideology and practice (archaeology of death), the social history of ancient Egypt, the cross-cultural interactions between Egypt, Greece and the Near East, the Archaic Αegyptiaca, and the academic study of magic and demonology.
He is the scientific coordinator of the following international Egyptological projects funded by the EU and Greek resources in cooperation with scholars from Greek and foreign Institutions: 1. Aegyptiaca Project: Ecumene and Economy in the Horizon of Religion (2007 till today, in co-operation with Ludwig Morenz, University of Bonn), 2. Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project (2011 till today, in co-operation with Kasia Szpakowska, Swansea University and Rital Lucarelli, University of Berkeley), 3. Helwan Archaeological Survey and Mapping Project (2005-2007), 4. Project HERAKLITUS ΙΙ (2010-2015), 5. Project Pythagoras, meter 2.2: Egypt and Greece in Antiquity: Historical and Archaeological Approach with the aid of the natural sciences (2003-2007), 6. E-learning Life-long Programmes of Continuing Education in Egyptology and the ancient Egyptian language (2012-2016), 7. Egyptian Magic in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens (2014 till today, in co-operation with Eleni Tourna, Curator, NAMA).
He has organized seven international conferences and specialized workshops on Rhodes and Athens: (1) Ancient Egyptian Theology and Demonology Symposium (2003, in co-operation with Dr. Mark Collier, University of Liverpool); (2) Foreign Relations and Diplomacy in the Ancient World International Conference: Egypt, Greece, Near East (2004); (3) the First Egyptological Seminar at the University of the Aegean with the participation of distinguished scholars from European Institutes (2005); (4) the Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists (2008, in co-operation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt and the International Association of Egyptologists); (5) the Εx Oriente Lux Ι Symposium (2011, in co-operation with University of Athens and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens); (6) Aegyptiaca Project: the Symposium – Religion, Politics and Culture in the Mediterranean from the 8th to 6th c. BC (2016, in co-operation with the University of Bonn); (7) Defining the anti-god category in the Egyptian belief system: ontology, ritual, politics, ethics (2019).
He has published eight books and many articles in peer reviewed journals, collective volumes and conference proceedings. His books / edited volumes include: Magic and Religion as Performative Theological Union: the Apotropaic Ritual of Overthrowing Apophis (Liverpool, 1999), In Search of the Afterlife: Death and Mummification in ancient Egypt (Thessaloniki: Archetypo-Metekdotiki, 2004) [in Greek], Moving Across Borders: Foreign Relations, Religion and Cultural Interactions in Ancient Mediterranean, OLA 159 (Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2007, with Κ. Magliveras), Studies on the Ancient Egyptian Culture and Foreign Relations, Egyptological Series 1 (Rhodes: University of the Aegean, 2007), Ancient Egyptian Demonology: Studies on the boundaries between the Demonic and the Divine in Egyptian Magic, OLA 175 (Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2011), Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, 22-29 May 2008 (Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2015, with N. Lazaridis), Introduction to the Ancient Egyptian Language and Script (Athens, 2015) [in Greek], Ancient Egypt and the World of Greek Antiquity (Athens, in press) [in Greek], Egyptian Hieroglyphics: Morphology and Syntax of Middle Egyptian (Athens, in press) [in Greek]. He has also been invited and participated in many international conferences and colloquia in Greece, Europe and America.
Since 2003 Panagiotis Kousoulis has been teaching Egyptology, Near Eastern archaeology and cross-cultural interactions in the eastern Mediterranean in postgraduate and undergraduate level at the Department of Mediterranean Studies of the University of the Aegean. He is also a tutor at the E-learning Life-long Programmes of Continuing Education of the University of the Aegean (2012 till now), at the PAIDEIA Study Abroad Programme of the University of Connecticut (2011 till now) and at the American Center of Archaeology at Mycenae (2019).
Classes are taught with visual support (slides, 3D representations, videos) embedded in PowerPoint presentations (Microsoft), the methodology of study and analysis of primary textbooks and historical sources (electronic databases with epigraphic and literary material) and relevant secondary bibliography, with the active participation of students throughout the course through questionnaires and discussion (via modern e-learning platform, like Moodle or E-class). Students are taught to demonstrate written and oral skills in analysis and presentation and appreciation of, and ability to apply, methods of textual analysis. Courses’ objectives are succeeded through particular assignments or activities, close interaction with students, establishment of shared space.
