Profile

Maria Centrone is an expert in Egyptian archaeology and has published a number of research papers on the subject, as well as having supervised excavations in Egypt.

She received her Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Wales Swansea focusing her research on ancient Egyptian Funerary archaeology, Egyptian religion and, in particular on the study of Egyptian corn-mummies. The aim of her investigation was to systematically record and analyse this class of objects in terms of form, decoration, representational theme, archaeological and cultural context, chronology and use.

Being in contact with museums for her doctorate research and realising how essential is to keep accurate data of the objects held in a collection, Maria subsequently pursued a Masters course in Museum Studies, specialising in collection documentation and museum communication.

Maria works as a member of the University Library staff and is an Assistant Lecturer with the Classical and Archaeological Studies Department at Kent.

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Research Interests

Maria’s Ph.D. focuses on the study of Egyptian corn-mummies which can be defined as mummiform objects, 35–50 cm long, made from a mixture of earth and grain, wrapped in resin-soaked linen bandages and often provided with Osirian wax mask and four small packages interpreted as the Sons of Horus. Corn-mummies illustrate the complex relationship between grain, embodying the idea of renewal as living substance, the life and death of which follows a cyclic pattern, and the notion of rejuvenation through the figure of Osiris. With the aim of systematically recording this class of objects, she compiled a catalogue, currently comprising 91 specimens (over 40 of which have not been previously studied). The catalogue formed then the basis of the interpretation in the light of literary, pictorial and archaeological related evidence, associated religious beliefs and symbolic concepts.

Maria writes: "I believe in the importance of the artefacts as a starting point for a wide and comprehensive study of the ancient civilisations. The piece of work, found in situ or simply revealed after years of collecting dust in a museum basement, has to be accurately analysed, according to its stylistic features, in the light of the recognized canons of art. The following interpretative stage should involve a study of the literary evidence that might have concerned the item under examination and of the historical circumstances the piece of art could be associated with. Epigraphic evidence is a further element to be taken into account. In a few words, a cultural phenomenon, whether it concerns the social, religious or anthropological sphere is detected by considering archaeological, literary and historical sources, mutually dependent and all are necessary bases for the interpretative process that is the aim of every research".

Maria is currently researching Osiris' magic balls, funded by the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford. The aim of the investigation is to create a typological inventory and analyse this class of ancient Egyptian religious and funerary artefacts, providing also an interpretation of the phenomenon in the light of textual, pictorial and archaeological related evidence. A database will be produced and made electronically available, so that researchers can easily access the relevant information and images through hyper-linking, indexing and search engine facilities.

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Publications

Egyptian Corn-mummies: A class of religious artefacts catalogued and systematically analysed (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken, 2009)

‘Corn-mummies: a case of ‘figuring it out’ in Proceedings of the IXth Congress of the International Association of Egyptologists, Grenoble 2004 (Peeters, Publishers and Booksellers Inc., Leuven, 2006)

‘Corn-mummies, amulets of life’ in Through a Glass Darkly: Magic, Dreams, and Prophecy in Ancient Egypt (The Classical Press of Wales, 2006)

‘Choosing the burial place for corn-mummies: a random selection?’ in Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Symposium, University of Durham 2004 (Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2005)

‘Corn-mummies come to life’ in Proceedings from Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology 2003 (Archaeopress British Archaeology Reports, London, 2005)

‘Behind the corn-mummies’ in Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Symposium, University College London 2003 (Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2004)

"this is the form of [...] Osiris of the mysteries, who springs from the returning waters" (South wall of the Osiris Room at the Great temple of Philae)‘ in Atti del First International Congress for young Egyptologists (‘L’ERMA’ di BRETSCHNEIDER, Rome, 2004)

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Teaching

For the Classical and Archaeological Studies Department at Kent, she has supervised students undertaking project work and Dissertation (eg. module CL636, CL504) and has taught on the Hieroglyphs module (CL630) and ‘Introduction to Egyptology – the dynasties of Ancient Egypt’ for the Certificate in Combined Studies programme (CM165).

Maria convenes and teaches 'Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology' module (CL347).

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