Get to Know your Visiting Professor Dr. Rasha Soliman!

What is your area of research and how did you get interested in this topic? Are you doing any research right now?

I was born in Cairo/Egypt but traveled all around different countries because of my father’s job. Being away from Egypt had me read all about it and talk about it with my friends.

Upon my return to Cairo to get my college degree, I decided I wanted to focus on Ancient Egyptian studies, and thus decided to do Egyptology. I attended undergraduate and graduate school at Helwan University in Cairo. My area of research is Ancient Egyptian Archaeology with emphasis on Theban tombs, and the research never ends! Currently, I am working on documenting Theban tombs at a site called elTarif. These tombs have been neglected because of their lack of mural scenes and treasures. I hope I can record them for future scholars.

 Where were you teaching before you came to Lewis & Clark?

I have been appointed at Misr University for Science & Technology ever since the inauguration of the faculty/school of Archeology in 2007. I started off as an assistant professor (2007), then got promoted to associate professor (2013). My last administrative job (2016) was Vice Dean for Educational & Students’ Affairs. Lewis & Clark’s Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENA) program is hoping to start a new students’ overseas program at my home institution. Hopefully sometime soon.

 What brought you to Lewis & Clark?

Lewis and Clark college and the MENA program applied to host a Fulbright Scholar in Residence (teaching scholar) and here I am only for the 2018/2019 academic year. So it’s the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt that offered me this teaching grant.

 What are the names of the courses you will be teaching in the spring, and what will they be about?

In the Spring of 2019 I’ll be teaching “Ancient Egypt” (CLAS 298), which is a history course that  will survey major aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization that extended over a period of some 3000 years, one of the most successful and enduring civilizations in world history. Coursework will highlight the changes and developments of Egyptian civilization over a long span of time from the early dynastic period to the end of the Pharaonic civilization. Topics explored will include history, concepts of kingship, political development, and religious organization, as well as literature and art. My second course, “Ancient Egyptian Archaeology” (CLAS 398), is an introduction to archaeological techniques and their application to ancient Egyptian archaeological sites. We will examine both archaeological methods and documentation as well as a brief history of archaeological investigation. We will focus on major ancient Egyptian archaeological sites to explore the architectural ingenuity of this ancient civilization.

My courses will be offered through the Classics Department but will also count towards the history major.