Nico Staring is an archaeologist specialising in pharaonic Egyptian archaeology, art and material culture, especially of the Late Bronze Age (New Kingdom, c. 1539-1078 BCE). The main focus of his research is on the Memphite necropolis at Saqqara near modern-day Cairo, where he also conducts archaeological fieldwork.

More information about Nico Staring

Fields of interest

My fields of interest centre on Egypt during the Late Bronze Age (New Kingdom, c. 1539-1078 BCE), and include:

• Landscape archaeology
• Ancient craftsmanship
• Funerary art and archaeology
• Prosopography
• Graffiti practices
• Archaeological theory

Research

The main focus of my research is on the necropolis of Saqqara near ancient Memphis. It involves archaeological fieldwork, archive research, and the study of decontextualised museum objects.
My current research project (2021-2024), which I am undertaking at the University of Liège (sponsored by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS), is entitled 'Private Patronage in Ancient Egyptian Tomb Production: Assessing the Relationship between Commissioning Patron and Artists in the New Kingdom Necropolis at Saqqara, c. 1539-1078 BCE.
My latest book project, to be published with Brill as 'The Saqqara Necropolis through the New Kingdom: Biography of an Ancient Egyptian Cultural Landscape', is the first comprehensive monographic treatment of the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara, and addresses questions fundamental to understanding the site’s development through time.
I am also currently working on the publication of the monumental relief-decorated tomb of an army official from the time of Tutankhamun, named Ry. Since the tomb's excavation in 2013 (by the Leiden-Turin archaeological expedition to Saqqara), I have been able to reconstruct the tomb by virtually joining wall fragments and other architectural elements now spread over museum collections around the globe.

Grants and awards

Individual:
2021: Faculty Impact Fund research grant
2021: Mandat Chargé de recherches du Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
2019: Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO) outgoing mobility grant
2018: Friends of Saqqara Foundation research grant
2017: Prof. dr. A.W. Byvanck Fonds / Leiden University Fund (LUF) research grant
2013: Macquarie University Department HDR research grant
2012: Macquarie University Department HDR research grant
2012: Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (MQRES)
2012: International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS), Australia
2011: Lutfia Rabbani Foundation travel scholarship

As co-applicant:
2021: Faculty Impact Fund (Leiden University Faculty of Humanities) research grant
2017: NWO Vidi Talent Programme research grant with Lara Weiss (PI) and Ramadan Hussein

CV

Education:
PhD in Ancient History (Egyptology), Macquarie University, Sydney (2016)
Master of Arts, Archaeology of the Near East, Leiden University (2008)

Employment, principal appointments:
2021-2024: Postdoctoral research fellow (Chargé de recherches) of the F.R.S.-FNRS at the University of Liège
2020-2021: Postdoctoral teaching fellow (doctor-assistent), Department of Archaeology, KU Leuven
2019-2021: Honorary research fellow, Czech Institute of Egyptology, Charles University, Prague
2017-2021: Postdoctoral research fellow for the NWO Vidi project "The Walking Dead at Saqqara: The Making of a Cultural Geography", Leiden University (LIAS)
2014: Programme coordinator and lecturer 'Cairo semester', Leiden University & KU Leuven
2009-2010: University lecturer (interim) in Egyptian Archaeology, Art and Material Culture, Leiden University (LIAS)

Key publications

Authored monographs
Staring, N., The Saqqara Necropolis through the New Kingdom: Biography of an Ancient Egyptian Cultural Landscape, CHAN 131 (Leiden: Brill, 2022).

Edited books
Weiss, L., Staring, N., Twiston Davies , H. (eds), Perspectives on Lived Religion II: The Making of a Cultural Geography, PALMA 27 (Leiden: Sidestone).

Staring, N., Twiston Davies, H., Weiss, L. (eds), Perspectives on Lived Religion: Practices - Transmission - Landscape, PALMA 21 (Leiden: Sidestone, 2019).

Articles and book chapters
Staring, N., The Memphite Necropolis through the Amarna Period. A Study of Private Patronage, Transmission of Iconographic Motifs, and Scene Details, in: Coppens, F. (ed.), Continuity, Discontinuity and Change: Perspectives from the New Kingdom to the Roman Era (Prague: Charles University, 2021), 13–73.

Staring, N., From Landscape Biography to the Social Dimension of Burial. A View from Memphis, c. 1539-1078 BCE, in: N. Staring, H. Twiston Davies, and L. Weiss (eds), Perspectives on Lived Religion: Practices – Transmission – Landscape, PALMA 21 (Leiden: Sidestone, 2019), 207–223.

Staring, N., The Tomb of Ptahemwia, ‘Great Overseer of Cattle’ and ‘Overseer of the Treasury of the Ramesseum’, at Saqqara, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 102 (2016), 145–170.

Publications

Activities