Uroš Matić
Biographic Data
| ID | 308468 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Uroš Matić |
| GIVEN NAMES | Uroš |
| FAMILY NAME | Matić |
| SIGNATURE | MATIĆ U |
| AFFILIATIONS | Austrian Academy of Sciences |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0701-6104 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
On Stallions and Mares: Gendering of War Horses Used in Ancient Egypt
The horses accompanying the pharaoh in depictions of his battles often play an important role in establishing his superior status. They are displayed as larger and often more masculine than the enemy’s horses. Since these depictions had a very specific goal, it is fair to question the images’ relation to reality. Through a combination of textual and image analysis, which includes some interpretations of equine terms, this article delves into the …
Tumplines, baskets, and heavy burden? Interdisciplinary approach to load carrying in Bronze Age Abu Fatima, Sudan
Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
The Forces of the Hyksos and Their Representations: Glimpse of Reality or interpretatio Thebarum
Not much is known about the forces of the Hyksos, 15th Dynasty rulers of the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt. This was a time when Egypt and Nubia were divided between several competing royal houses and corresponding dynasties, e.g., the 14th and 15th Dynasty in Lower Egypt, 16th and 17th Dynasty in Upper Egypt, as well as the Kushite kingdom in Nubia. Loyalty to any of these polities was not based on ethnic identity. Forces of different ethn…
The Ones Who Could Not pwy: Failed Masculinity of Syrian Princes in the Tale of the Doomed Prince
The Ancient Egyptian Tale of the Doomed Prince allows us to add another level of understanding to the New Kingdom Egyptian imperialist ideology The superior masculinity of the Egyptian prince in this tale is contrasted to inferior masculinities of Syrian princes, and has parallels in other contemporary texts thematizing New Kingdom Egyptian military campaigns in Syria-Palestine The evidence presented here allows us to expand gender as a "frame of…
Let’s Talk About Gender—The Place of Gender in Current Archaeological Debates
Queering Serbian Archaeology: Androcentrism, Heteronormativity, Gender and the Writing of (Pre)history
In scholarly backroom discussions, archaeologies of the Balkans are often labelled as conservative and ignorant of gender studies, their impact on archaeology, and how it deals with gender in the past. Indeed, androcentrism and heteronormativity are commonly found in archaeological interpretations throughout the Balkans, but not there alone. In this paper I will analyse how gender and sexuality in the past have been approached by some archaeologi…
Second Preliminary Report on the Town of Kom Ombo (2019-2021)
This article presents the results of five seasons of excavation and study at the townsite of Kom Ombo in Upper Egypt. The work, carried out by the Cairo branch of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), has concentrated on remains of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period. From the latter, an exceptionally well-preserved building containing numerous round silos, perhaps for grain, and a further building to its south provide evidence f…
Ethnicity of the Hyksos Forces and the Death of Pharaoh Seqenenre Tao
The mummified remains of ancient Egyptian king Seqenenre Tao (c. 1560 BCE) reveal traces of trauma caused by violence. Several blows to his head produced cuts, allowing scholars to identify the weapons of the attackers. Considering that among these weapons were Levantine Middle Bronze Age II chisel-shaped, socketed axes, and that Middle Bronze Age II material culture is attributed to ‘Asiatics’ and the subjects of the 15th Dynasty (Hyksos), it is…
Gender Trouble and Current Archaeological Debates
This chapter assesses the extent to which gender-informed narratives exist in archaeological exhibitions in Europe in the twenty-first century. It does so by examining a selection of permanent and temporary exhibitions organised in museums but not exclusively, based on the authors’ per sonal observations during museum visits and the review of current publications on gender in archaeological museums. The chapter argues that the integration of gend…
Egyptomania, Sex and Ontology in Enki Bilal’s The Nikopol Trilogy (1980–1992) and Immortel, ad vitam (2004)
This paper argues that what advocates of the ontological turn refer to as the question of ontology cannot be understood without taking ideology into account. Enki Bilal’s comic book The Nikopol Trilogy (1980–1992) and the movie Immortel, ad vitam (2004), juxtaposed with ancient Egyptian sources, are used as a demonstration. The issue of appropriate sexual partners for ancient Egyptian deities in the fictional world of Bilal is not only one of ont…
The motif of the “lost paradise” in blockbuster films set in the post-apocalypse
Considering that mythology and storytelling are an integral part of the human experience, in this paper we will take a look at contemporary iterations of certain archetypal myths. While the authors do not espouse the idea that ?science fiction is the mythology of modern society?, we believe that there is something to be said about popular culture as a medium of narrative transmission in post-industrialist society. In this sense, the paper analyse…
Postcolonialism as a Reverse Discourse in Egyptology: De-colonizing Historiography and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia Part 2
This paper investigates the use of postcolonial theory in Egyptology and Sudan archaeology. Theories and concepts developed out of examinations of specific historical colonial encounters were often applied by Egyptologists with little or no critical historical contextualization. Consequently, when using postcolonial theories and concepts some Egyptologists unwillingly transferred specific historical backgrounds to both ancient Egyptian experience…
Postcolonial Theory in Egyptology: Key Concepts and Agendas
Gender as Frame of War in Ancient Nubia
Gender research in Sudan archaeology and Meroitic studies is a nascent field. Studies of gender are especially lacking in investigations concerning war and violence, which are usually written from an androcentric perspective, and often focus solely on soldiers, army, weaponry, and images of battles and enemies. The experiences of non-combatants in the context of war in ancient Nubia are rarely considered; nor is the gender background of war. This…
Sapsford, Tom: Performing the "Kinaidos". Unmanly Men in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
Beautiful Bodies: Gender and Corporeal Aesthetics in the Past
Why Were the Leaders of the Sea Peoples Called ʿȝ.w and Not wr.w ? On the Size and Raiding Character of the Sea Peoples’ Groups
This paper discusses the use of the terms ʿȝ and wr for the designation of enemy leaders in ancient Egyptian texts of the Ramesside period. Focus is placed on the choice of the term for leaders of the various Sea Peoples’ groups in the texts of the Medinet Habu temple of Ramesses III. The leaders of the Sea Peoples and Shasu are referred to as ʿȝ.w, whereas the leaders of other groups are referred to as wr.w. The terms used for different enemy le…
Boy, You Fight like a Woman … Representations of Defeated Enemies, Boys and Male Nudity in the Late Bronze Age Aegean Iconography and Their Role in the Expression of Masculinity
This paper examines depictions of male nudity, flaccid penises and phalli (erect penises) attested in the representations of boys, defeated warriors and figures of authority in late Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 1700–1050 BCE). It is argued that, similarly to ancient Egyptian iconography, the flaccid penis, as a sign of weakness and the lack of developed masculinity, was contrasted to the phallus, as a sign of masculine strength and sexual virility. Mor…
Ex oriente nigri: “Captain of the Blacks” and the Fabrication of the Minoan Culture
The fabrication of the Minoan culture is the specifically modern phenomenon, closely linked to the imperial and colonial conquest and appropriation of Ancient Greece. The Greek war of independence created an arena in which Europe could take part in the fight for its cradle. In the postcolonial key, the paper situates the fresco “Captain of the Blacks” into the context of the fabrication of the Minoan culture and the colonial narratives inscribed …
The Dark Side of Urbanisation: Inequality, Precarity and “Gentrification” in Middle Kingdom Tell el-Dabca, Ancient Avaris
Tell el-Dabca, ancient Avaris (eastern Delta in Egypt), was initially settled in the late 11th-early 12th dynasty, when a planned settlement was built in area F/I. This settlement was abandoned two times. The first abandonment was followed by the return of the same people, or the people of the same social background and class, to the existing planned settlement. After the second abandonment and a hiatus, the demolition and levelling of the area t…
Alien and Storytelling in the Anthropocene: Evolutionism, Creationism and Pseudoarchaeology in Science Fiction
This paper analyses the change in the metanarrative of the Alien franchise initiated by the movie Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and continued with a series of three sequels. The franchise was revived in 2012 with the prequel Prometheus. The story of the first four movies is set at the end of the anthropocene, and it deals with the horror of alien life forms, offering an evolutionist approach to the development of the human species. Howe…
Talk like an Egyptian? Epistemological problems with the synthesis of a vocal sound from the mummified remains of Nesyamun and racial designations in mummy studies
The paper examines epistemological problems behind a recent study claiming to provide a synthesis of a vocal sound from the mummified remains of a man named Nesyamun and behind racial designations in Egyptian mummy studies more generally. So far, responses in the media and academia concentrated on the ethical problems of these studies, whereas their theoretical and methodological backgrounds have been rarely addressed or mentioned only in passing…
Memories into Images: Aegean and Aegean-like Objects in New Kingdom Egyptian Theban Tombs
Diplomatic relations between the 18th-dynasty Egyptian court and the polities of the Aegean Bronze Age are gaining increasing scholarly attention. The work conducted so far on chronological synchronization has established a relatively firm base for further discussions on social relations. The role of the prestige objects arriving from the Aegean to Egypt has not received the same attention. This is partly because our knowledge of these objects is…
Von der Quelle zur Theorie: Vom Verhältnis zwischen Objektivität und Subjektivität in den historischen Wissenschaften
Die klassische Wissenschaftstheorie konzentriert sich oft auf die Naturwissenschaften und hat für die historischen Disziplinen nicht viel Raum. Dabei bieten sowohl die fachinternen Debatten der geschichtlichen Wissenschaften als auch die modernen philosophischen Ansätze gemeinsam einen fruchtbaren Boden, um zusammen neue Erkenntnisse zu schaffen. In diesem Band nähern sich Philosophen und Historiker aus verschiedenen Perspektiven dem Fragenkomple…
Execration” of Nubians in Avaris? A Case of Mistaken Ethnic Identity and Hidden Archaeological Theory
Two pits (L1016 and L1055) from the early New Kingdom cemetery in areas H/ I and H/ III at ʿEzbet Helmi, Tell el-Dabʿa (ancient Avaris), have long been identified as remains of execration rituals in which Nubians were killed. In this paper I will argue that nothing in these two pits suggests execration of Nubians. The racial attribution of the individuals found in these pits can be questioned on both a theoretical and methodological basis. The Nu…
De-colonizing the Historiography and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. Part 1. Scientific Racism
The process of epistemological de-colonization of the historiography and archaeology of ancient Egypt and Nubia has begun unfolding only in the last two decades. It is still set in the context of descriptive disciplinary history with little reflection on and criticism of background theories and methods. As a consequence, some of the old approaches and concepts live on in the discipline. Utilizing the concepts of “thought collective” and “thought …
Postcolonial Theory in Egyptology: Key Concepts and Agendas
Gender Trouble and Current Archaeological Debates
This chapter assesses the extent to which gender-informed narratives exist in archaeological exhibitions in Europe in the twenty-first century. It does so by examining a selection of permanent and temporary exhibitions organised in museums but not exclusively, based on the authors’ per sonal observations during museum visits and the review of current publications on gender in archaeological museums. The chapter argues that the integration of gend…
Postcolonialism as a Reverse Discourse in Egyptology: De-colonizing Historiography and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia Part 2
This paper investigates the use of postcolonial theory in Egyptology and Sudan archaeology. Theories and concepts developed out of examinations of specific historical colonial encounters were often applied by Egyptologists with little or no critical historical contextualization. Consequently, when using postcolonial theories and concepts some Egyptologists unwillingly transferred specific historical backgrounds to both ancient Egyptian experience…
Execration” of Nubians in Avaris? A Case of Mistaken Ethnic Identity and Hidden Archaeological Theory
Two pits (L1016 and L1055) from the early New Kingdom cemetery in areas H/ I and H/ III at ʿEzbet Helmi, Tell el-Dabʿa (ancient Avaris), have long been identified as remains of execration rituals in which Nubians were killed. In this paper I will argue that nothing in these two pits suggests execration of Nubians. The racial attribution of the individuals found in these pits can be questioned on both a theoretical and methodological basis. The Nu…
(De)queering Hatshepsut: Binary Bind in Archaeology of Egypt and Kingship Beyond the Corporeal
Gender in Ancient Egypt: Norms, Ambiguities, and Sensualities
This article looks at new trends in the study of sex and gender in ancient Egypt, especially as influenced by gender and queer theories. We shall consider notions of binary gender, third gender, and same sex relations, with a final look at the endurance of folk tradition in Egyptian fertility practices
Tumplines, baskets, and heavy burden? Interdisciplinary approach to load carrying in Bronze Age Abu Fatima, Sudan
Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Gender as Frame of War in Ancient Nubia
Gender research in Sudan archaeology and Meroitic studies is a nascent field. Studies of gender are especially lacking in investigations concerning war and violence, which are usually written from an androcentric perspective, and often focus solely on soldiers, army, weaponry, and images of battles and enemies. The experiences of non-combatants in the context of war in ancient Nubia are rarely considered; nor is the gender background of war. This…
Materiality and Social Practice: Transformative Capacities of Intercultural Encounters
Joseph Maran and Philipp W. Stock-hammer (eds.) Materiality and Social Practice: Transformative Capacities of Intercultural Encounters. Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books, 220 pp
Nubian” Archers in Avaris: A Study of Culture-Historical Reasoning in Archaeology of Egypt
The archaeology of Egypt is in world archaeological circles widely regarded as non-theoretical in a negative sense. The consequence of such a state of the discipline are often uncritical uses of concepts and models which were under heavy critique in archaeology since the 1960s. This paper examines the culture-historical reasoning in archaeology of Egypt by analysing the arguments provided for the presence of “Nubian” archers in Avaris (Tell el-Da…
Minoans", kftjw and the "Islands in the Middle of ω 3 ḏ ωr" Beyond Ethnicity
(De)queering Hatshepsut: Binary Bind in Archaeology of Egypt and Kingship Beyond the Corporeal
Gender in Ancient Egypt: Norms, Ambiguities, and Sensualities
This article looks at new trends in the study of sex and gender in ancient Egypt, especially as influenced by gender and queer theories. We shall consider notions of binary gender, third gender, and same sex relations, with a final look at the endurance of folk tradition in Egyptian fertility practices
Archaeologies of Gender and Violence
Von der Quelle zur Theorie: Vom Verhältnis zwischen Objektivität und Subjektivität in den historischen Wissenschaften
Die klassische Wissenschaftstheorie konzentriert sich oft auf die Naturwissenschaften und hat für die historischen Disziplinen nicht viel Raum. Dabei bieten sowohl die fachinternen Debatten der geschichtlichen Wissenschaften als auch die modernen philosophischen Ansätze gemeinsam einen fruchtbaren Boden, um zusammen neue Erkenntnisse zu schaffen. In diesem Band nähern sich Philosophen und Historiker aus verschiedenen Perspektiven dem Fragenkomple…
Execration” of Nubians in Avaris? A Case of Mistaken Ethnic Identity and Hidden Archaeological Theory
Two pits (L1016 and L1055) from the early New Kingdom cemetery in areas H/ I and H/ III at ʿEzbet Helmi, Tell el-Dabʿa (ancient Avaris), have long been identified as remains of execration rituals in which Nubians were killed. In this paper I will argue that nothing in these two pits suggests execration of Nubians. The racial attribution of the individuals found in these pits can be questioned on both a theoretical and methodological basis. The Nu…
De-colonizing the Historiography and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. Part 1. Scientific Racism
The process of epistemological de-colonization of the historiography and archaeology of ancient Egypt and Nubia has begun unfolding only in the last two decades. It is still set in the context of descriptive disciplinary history with little reflection on and criticism of background theories and methods. As a consequence, some of the old approaches and concepts live on in the discipline. Utilizing the concepts of “thought collective” and “thought …
Memories into Images: Aegean and Aegean-like Objects in New Kingdom Egyptian Theban Tombs
Diplomatic relations between the 18th-dynasty Egyptian court and the polities of the Aegean Bronze Age are gaining increasing scholarly attention. The work conducted so far on chronological synchronization has established a relatively firm base for further discussions on social relations. The role of the prestige objects arriving from the Aegean to Egypt has not received the same attention. This is partly because our knowledge of these objects is…
Alien and Storytelling in the Anthropocene: Evolutionism, Creationism and Pseudoarchaeology in Science Fiction
This paper analyses the change in the metanarrative of the Alien franchise initiated by the movie Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and continued with a series of three sequels. The franchise was revived in 2012 with the prequel Prometheus. The story of the first four movies is set at the end of the anthropocene, and it deals with the horror of alien life forms, offering an evolutionist approach to the development of the human species. Howe…
Talk like an Egyptian? Epistemological problems with the synthesis of a vocal sound from the mummified remains of Nesyamun and racial designations in mummy studies
The paper examines epistemological problems behind a recent study claiming to provide a synthesis of a vocal sound from the mummified remains of a man named Nesyamun and behind racial designations in Egyptian mummy studies more generally. So far, responses in the media and academia concentrated on the ethical problems of these studies, whereas their theoretical and methodological backgrounds have been rarely addressed or mentioned only in passing…
Beautiful Bodies: Gender and Corporeal Aesthetics in the Past
Why Were the Leaders of the Sea Peoples Called ʿȝ.w and Not wr.w ? On the Size and Raiding Character of the Sea Peoples’ Groups
This paper discusses the use of the terms ʿȝ and wr for the designation of enemy leaders in ancient Egyptian texts of the Ramesside period. Focus is placed on the choice of the term for leaders of the various Sea Peoples’ groups in the texts of the Medinet Habu temple of Ramesses III. The leaders of the Sea Peoples and Shasu are referred to as ʿȝ.w, whereas the leaders of other groups are referred to as wr.w. The terms used for different enemy le…
Boy, You Fight like a Woman … Representations of Defeated Enemies, Boys and Male Nudity in the Late Bronze Age Aegean Iconography and Their Role in the Expression of Masculinity
This paper examines depictions of male nudity, flaccid penises and phalli (erect penises) attested in the representations of boys, defeated warriors and figures of authority in late Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 1700–1050 BCE). It is argued that, similarly to ancient Egyptian iconography, the flaccid penis, as a sign of weakness and the lack of developed masculinity, was contrasted to the phallus, as a sign of masculine strength and sexual virility. Mor…
Ex oriente nigri: “Captain of the Blacks” and the Fabrication of the Minoan Culture
The fabrication of the Minoan culture is the specifically modern phenomenon, closely linked to the imperial and colonial conquest and appropriation of Ancient Greece. The Greek war of independence created an arena in which Europe could take part in the fight for its cradle. In the postcolonial key, the paper situates the fresco “Captain of the Blacks” into the context of the fabrication of the Minoan culture and the colonial narratives inscribed …
The Dark Side of Urbanisation: Inequality, Precarity and “Gentrification” in Middle Kingdom Tell el-Dabca, Ancient Avaris
Tell el-Dabca, ancient Avaris (eastern Delta in Egypt), was initially settled in the late 11th-early 12th dynasty, when a planned settlement was built in area F/I. This settlement was abandoned two times. The first abandonment was followed by the return of the same people, or the people of the same social background and class, to the existing planned settlement. After the second abandonment and a hiatus, the demolition and levelling of the area t…
Egyptomania, Sex and Ontology in Enki Bilal’s The Nikopol Trilogy (1980–1992) and Immortel, ad vitam (2004)
This paper argues that what advocates of the ontological turn refer to as the question of ontology cannot be understood without taking ideology into account. Enki Bilal’s comic book The Nikopol Trilogy (1980–1992) and the movie Immortel, ad vitam (2004), juxtaposed with ancient Egyptian sources, are used as a demonstration. The issue of appropriate sexual partners for ancient Egyptian deities in the fictional world of Bilal is not only one of ont…
The motif of the “lost paradise” in blockbuster films set in the post-apocalypse
Considering that mythology and storytelling are an integral part of the human experience, in this paper we will take a look at contemporary iterations of certain archetypal myths. While the authors do not espouse the idea that ?science fiction is the mythology of modern society?, we believe that there is something to be said about popular culture as a medium of narrative transmission in post-industrialist society. In this sense, the paper analyse…
Postcolonialism as a Reverse Discourse in Egyptology: De-colonizing Historiography and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Nubia Part 2
This paper investigates the use of postcolonial theory in Egyptology and Sudan archaeology. Theories and concepts developed out of examinations of specific historical colonial encounters were often applied by Egyptologists with little or no critical historical contextualization. Consequently, when using postcolonial theories and concepts some Egyptologists unwillingly transferred specific historical backgrounds to both ancient Egyptian experience…
Postcolonial Theory in Egyptology: Key Concepts and Agendas
Gender as Frame of War in Ancient Nubia
Gender research in Sudan archaeology and Meroitic studies is a nascent field. Studies of gender are especially lacking in investigations concerning war and violence, which are usually written from an androcentric perspective, and often focus solely on soldiers, army, weaponry, and images of battles and enemies. The experiences of non-combatants in the context of war in ancient Nubia are rarely considered; nor is the gender background of war. This…
Sapsford, Tom: Performing the "Kinaidos". Unmanly Men in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
The Forces of the Hyksos and Their Representations: Glimpse of Reality or interpretatio Thebarum
Not much is known about the forces of the Hyksos, 15th Dynasty rulers of the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt. This was a time when Egypt and Nubia were divided between several competing royal houses and corresponding dynasties, e.g., the 14th and 15th Dynasty in Lower Egypt, 16th and 17th Dynasty in Upper Egypt, as well as the Kushite kingdom in Nubia. Loyalty to any of these polities was not based on ethnic identity. Forces of different ethn…
The Ones Who Could Not pwy: Failed Masculinity of Syrian Princes in the Tale of the Doomed Prince
The Ancient Egyptian Tale of the Doomed Prince allows us to add another level of understanding to the New Kingdom Egyptian imperialist ideology The superior masculinity of the Egyptian prince in this tale is contrasted to inferior masculinities of Syrian princes, and has parallels in other contemporary texts thematizing New Kingdom Egyptian military campaigns in Syria-Palestine The evidence presented here allows us to expand gender as a "frame of…
History (24 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology (14 works) · Archaeology (13 works) · Art (13 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (12 works) · History (12 works) · Ancient history (10 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Ancient Near East History (8 works)