Prof.dr. J.F. Borghouts Faculty    Humanities E-mail    j.f.borghouts@let.leidenuniv.nl Phone    071 527 2041     Date of birth June 17, 1939 Place of birth Ginneken Study Egyptology Ph.D. July 6, 1971 Dissertation The Magical Texts of Papyrus Leiden I 348 Inaugural lecture December 2, 1986 New Year in Ancient Egypt Subject Aspects of rituals and magic in Egypt

Keywords

Egyptian rituals, magic, linguistics

My inspiration

Looking back over thousands of years to Pharaonic or Christian Egypt, the eye always meets that intensive pursuit of perfection, in a permanent struggle between culture and nature. The absolute drive of the Egyptians to continue one’s individual existence can be met in building, statuary and religion, to quote a few aspects, but especially in the latter. The confrontation with this intense culture is what makes Egypt so fascinating for my students and myself, especially when listening to the authentic voices of the erstwhile inhabitants—that is, through the written sources. My personal interests are magic, ritual and the language of Pharaonic Egypt.
The reconstruction of their world-view: whether a cosmogonical record, magic, a story or a simple letter: language and form testify to a balancedness that keeps amazing me every day, even though I am well aware that most of the material derives from a cultural elite.

Titles of major publications

• (2005) Book of the Dead [39]: From Shouting to Structure, Wiesbaden, 100 pp.
• (1998) J.F. Borghouts, D. van der Plas, Coffin Texts Word Index, Utrecht & Paris, [Centre for Computer-aided Egyptological Research Utrecht University], 328 pp. [Publications Interuniversitaires de recherches égyptologiques informatisées, nr. 6]
• (1982) “Divine Intervention in Ancient Egypt and its Manifestation (b3w)”, Gleanings from Deir el-Medîna, J.Janssen and R. Demarée (eds.), Leiden [Egyptologische Uitgaven, 1] pp. 1-70.
• (1978) Ancient Egyptian magical texts [selected and translated], Leiden, XII, 125 pp. [Religious texts translation series "Nisaba", no.9]
• (1973) “The Evil Eye of Apopis”, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 59, London, 114-150