Profile

Emily Smith-Sangster is a Ph.D. candidate studying Pharaonic period Egyptian art and archaeology, with a focus on Abydos in the New Kingdom. Her dissertation investigates the construction and expression of post-mortem identity in Upper Egypt, with a particular focus on aspects of local practice. Additional research interests include questions related to gender, disability, embodiment, and sensorialism.

Smith-Sangster received her B.A. in anthropology (highest honors), with minors in history and archaeology from Monmouth University’s Honors School, and an M.A. in Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian studies from New York University. Her M.A. Thesis, “Body Doubles: An Examination of Artificial “Reserve Parts” and the Conceptualization of Post-Mortem Bodily Completeness in Ancient Egypt,” was awarded the M.A. Achievement in the Humanities Fellowship by the NYU GSAS.

Smith-Sangster is an active field archaeologist, excavating the New Kingdom cemetery at South Abydos, in association with Princeton University and UPenn, as part of her dissertation research. She also has extensive excavation experience from years working in CRM and as a unit supervisor at annual field schools.