Specialization:
Archaeology
- Egyptian and Nubian archaeology
- Middle Kingdom seals, seal impressions, and sealing practice
- Expressions of indigenous identity and entanglement
- Community archaeology
Education:
M.A., Art History with a concentration in Egyptian Art & Archaeology from the University of Memphis (2021)
B.A., History and Classical Languages (Latin) from Creighton University (2019)
Bio:
Katherine earned her B.A. in History (primary major) and Classical Languages, concentration in Latin (second major), in 2019 from Creighton University. While attending Creighton, she attended an archaeological field school in Cyprus (see 'Projects') and conducted research on Cypriot Egyptianizing votive figures at the site. She earned her M.A. in Art History, concentration in Egyptian Art and Archaeology, from the University of Memphis in 2021. Her master's thesis focused on Middle Kingdom seal impressions from the settlement site at Elephantine Island.
Following graduation, Katherine received a research fellowship grant from the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo to continue her research on seal impressions, with the specific goals of publishing an article on the Elephantine corpus (see 'Publications') and assist in building an artifact database for the Realities of Life project (see 'Projects'). While conducting this research, Katherine also worked as a full-time middle school instructor in History (5th grade) and Latin (5th through 8th grade).
Currently, Katherine is pursuing her Ph.D. in Anthropology, concentration in Archaeology, at UCSB.
Research:
Katherine's research on the Middle Kingdom seal impressions from the settlement site on Elephantine Island focused largely on identification of seal impression front, back, and impression types as defined by Olga Tufnell and William Ward in "Studies on Scarab Seals" and analyzing them within the context of the Elephantine site and more broadly among comparable Middle Kingdom sites in Egypt and Lower Nubia. She aims to conduct further research on seal impressions and similar material culture as expressions of identity, with a particular focus on indigenous Nubian identity.
Projects:
Realities of Life: Since 2021, Katherine has served as a seal-impressions analyst under the supervision of Joshua Roberson and Johanna Sigl for the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo (DAIK) expedition Lebenswirklichkeiten - Eine Synthese von Archäologie und Naturwissenschaften ("Realities of Life - A Synthesis of Archaeology and the Natural Sciences"), at Elephantine Island in Aswan, Egypt. She wrote her master's thesis and a forthcoming article using the identification and analysis of these seal impressions.
Athienou Archaeological Project: In 2017, Katherine attended the Athienou Archaeological Project field school in Athienou, Cyprus. She assisted with excavations as a student field-worker at the open-air temple site at Athienou-Malloura. Katherine earned a travel and research grant in order to attend, and wrote a research paper titled "Investigating Imitation: An Exploration of Cypriot Egyptianizing Votive Statues," which she presented at two undergraduate conferences following her fieldwork.
Publications:
2025 (forthcoming). “Recently Excavated Seal Impressions of the Middle Kingdom from Elephantine,” JARCE 61 (2025).
Courses:
TA for: ANTH 3: Introductory Archaeology - An introduction to archaeology and the prehistory of humankind from the earliest times up to the advent of literate civilization and cities, also processes of cultural change.