LIAS aims to advance the globally conscious vision of area studies, both within and outside the academic community. Focusing on Asia and the Middle East, the institute is a meeting place of multiple fields of inquiry, theories and methods, historical periods, and areas.

The master’s programme in Egyptology, a specialisation of the Classics and Ancient Civilizations programme, at Leiden University provides you with a multidisciplinary study of the languages, literatures and cultures of Ancient Egypt.

Archaeological expeditions from the Netherlands and Flanders for which the NVIC acts as the primary facilitating institution in Egypt.

The Netherlands-Flemish Institute organizes every year its unique "Egyptology in the Field " study programme for MA students of Egyptology and Archaeology at Leiden University and KU Leuven. This two month programme takes place in January and February and aims to broaden the study of Egyptology with…

The research master's in Egyptology, a specialisation of the Classics and Ancient Civilizations (Research) programme, at Leiden University provides you with a multidisciplinary study of the languages, literatures and cultures of Ancient Egypt.

Een onderzoek naar de formulering, structuur, rechtshistorische aard en sociale en religieuze achtergronden van Laat-Egyptische (demotische) tempeleden, aangevuld met 70 ongepubliceerde teksten.

Clara ten Hacken defended her thesis on 16 December 2015

Carina van den Hoven defended her thesis on 16 February 2017.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Archaeology/Egyptology programme for this year comes in a new form. It is all-digital; consisting of virtual museum tours, Arabic classes, and Egyptology lectures!

The Cairo semester of MA Archaeology/Egyptology for students from the Netherlands and Flanders has unfortunately come to an end.

The wealth of shoes, sandals and other footwear from ancient Egypt is poorly understood due to lack of research. This is remarkable, because from the very beginning of Egypt’s long history footwear served practical as well as more spiritual purposes.

What was the practice of keeping the Necropolis Journal?

This research project focuses on the relation between identity marks and writing.

The World of a Mid-Eighth-Century Egyptian Official

Eleven talented Leiden researchers with several years of research experience have been awarded a Vidi subsidy to set up or expand their own line of research. One of them is LIAS researcher Lara Weiss.

This thesis studies the relationship of the town al-Fusṭāṭ, located at the southern end of the Nile delta in Egypt, and its hinterland in the period between the town’s foundation in A.D. 641 and the arrival of the Abbasids in 750.

In accordance with the present travel advice issued by Leiden University and KU Leuven concerning student mobility abroad, it is highly unlikely that the ‘Egyptology in the Field’ programme will be able to take place as normal in Egypt during the 2020-2021 academic year

Sensational, is how Leiden Egyptologist Olaf Kaper described the discovery of two new chambers in the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun. He hopes that a second set of scans will confirm their presence unequivocally.

It is one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of all times: the disappearance of a Persian army of 50,000 men in the Egyptian desert around 524 BC. Leiden Professor Olaf Kaper unearthed a cover-up affair and solved the riddle.

How did Fustat develop between 640 and 750 to become the capital of Egypt? At the time Egypt was a province of the Islamic empire - the caliphate - that had been started by the prophet Muhammad. Original sources used by Arabist Jelle Bruning give new insights into the city. PhD defence on 2 April.

The proposed research project examines the social role of two monk-bishops in seventh-century Egypt, Abraham of Hermonthis and Pesynthios of Koptos, by reconstructing their social networks on the basis of their archival documents.

A selected group of unpublished amulets from various collections in the world will be studied and edited.

The project concerns the nature, the usages and functions of pictographic systems in relation to writing in societies with (restricted) literacy.

Classics and Ancient Civilizations covers one year and can be studied in four programmes, one of them is Egyptology. When you choose to study this programme, you will both be guided through the broadness of Egyptological sub-disciplines, as well as gradually led to develop your own specific research…

Classics and Ancient Civilizations (Research) covers two years and can be studied in four programmes, one of them is Egyptology. When you choose to study this programme, you will both be guided through the broadness of Egyptological sub-disciplines, as well as gradually led to develop your own specific…

Find out how to apply for Egyptology (research) at Leiden University by following our step-by step guide.

Find out how to apply for Egyptology at Leiden University by following our step-by step guide.

Do you have a question about studying at Leiden University or student life in Leiden? Do you want more information about the Egyptology research master's programme? Chat with a current student for answers to your questions!

Every year the MA Egyptology students from Leiden University and KU Leuven spend two months in Egypt during January and February for the "Egyptology in the Field" study programme. You can read about their adventures and experiences in this weekly diary, written by the students.

The genesis of the golden boy-king mythos as exhibited between 1922 and 2022 in relation to Egyptological development with a focus on Dutch reception

The Ancient Worlds Network brings together staff and graduate students in LIAS working on the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world.

The Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo (the NVIC) was founded in 1971. Nine universities in the Netherlands and Flanders participate in the institute with an aim to stimulating internationalisation of their teaching and research activities in the Middle East.

If you have a question, there are various ways to get in touch with us.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2024.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2022.

The student weekly diary of Archaeology/Egyptology students, 2019.