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Personal profile
Biography
Georgia Barker is an Honorary Postdoctoral Fellow at Macquarie University in the Department of History and Archaeology, where she specialises in funerary art of the ancient Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdom periods. Most recently she completed a project entitled "Impacts of Instability: Funerary Models, Wall Scenes and Inscriptions at Asyut", during her postdoctoral research fellowship in 2022. This project, through a case study of Asyut, investigated how a period of political instability affected funerary customs during the First Intermediate Period and early Middle Kingdom in Egypt.
She completed a Bachelor of Ancient History (2015) a Master's of Research (2017) and a Doctorate of Philosophy (2021) at Macquarie University. Her PhD research comprised a detailed comparative analysis of funerary models and wall scenes from the sites of Meir, Deir el-Bersha and Beni Hassan in Middle Egypt. She has worked as a tutor and lecturer in Egyptology, teaching undergraduate units on ancient Egyptian history, language and art, and has also worked extensively with museum collections, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Sydney Living Museums, and the Macquarie Univiersity History Museum.
Research interests
Georgia’s primary research interest is funerary art of the ancient Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdom periods. Her PhD research comprised a comparative analysis of the two principal types of artistic representation in elite tombs: funerary models and wall scenes. The two media exhibit several similarities in design, causing scholars to regularly label funerary models duplicates or substitutes of wall scenes. Her analysis has identified several notable differences between them and demonstrated that each was specifically conceived for its individual role in the tomb.
Her postdoctoral project aimed to determine how a period of political instability affected funerary customs during the First Intermediate Period and early Middle Kingdom through a case study of Asyut. The military holds a prominent place in the inscriptions and representations in the tombs at this site, reflecting a growing feeling of instability and the critical role the province played in the civil war. Notably, this theme remains dominant in the sources after the re-unification of the country in the Middle Kingdom. While the historical importance of the inscriptions has been investigated by scholars, the complementary artistic sources have not been adequately assessed. This project, therefore, comprised the first comparative analysis of the three primary artistic and textual sources found at the site: funerary models, wall scenes and inscriptions. This analysis aimed to highlight the historical importance of artistic representations and to provide new insight into the impact of the turbulent period on the individuals of the region.
External positions
W. Benson Harer Egyptology Scholar in Residence, California State University San Bernardino
Aug 2023 → Dec 2023
Collections Officer, Sydney Living Museums
Oct 2021 → Dec 2021
Intern, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jun 2017 → Jul 2017
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
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Sir Douglas Newbold Archival Project: The Archaeology and History of Eastern Sudan
20/09/24 → …
Project: Research
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Presence and absence of the tomb owner in wall scenes and funerary models
Barker, G., 2023, In: Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde. 150, 2, p. 185-195 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Necklaces, Egypt: cautious
Barker, G., 2022, 100 treasures / 100 emotions: the Macquarie University History Museum. Bommas, M. (ed.). Lewes, UK: D. Giles Limited, p. 66-67 2 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Other chapter contribution
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Preparing for eternity: funerary models and wall scenes from the Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms
Barker, G., 2022, Oxford, UK: BAR Publishing. 262 p. (BAR International Series; vol. 3070)Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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Roman legionary brick, Austria: inquisitive
Barker, G., 2022, 100 treasures / 100 emotions: the Macquarie University History Museum. Bommas, M. (ed.). Lewes, UK: D. Giles Limited, p. 100-101 2 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Other chapter contribution
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Rope, Egypt: amazement
Barker, G., 2022, 100 treasures / 100 emotions: the Macquarie University History Museum. Bommas, M. (ed.). Lewes, UK: D. Giles Limited, p. 108-109 2 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Other chapter contribution
Prizes
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Preparing for Eternity: Funerary Models and Wall Scenes from the Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms
Georgia Barker (Speaker)
Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Preparing for Eternity: Funerary Models and Wall Scenes from the Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms
Georgia Barker (Speaker)
Sept 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Fieldwork at Meir and Beni Hassan: The Australian Centre for Egyptology (2008-2022)
Georgia Barker (Speaker)
12 Nov 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Active Participation of Tombs Owners in Scenes of the Hippopotamus Hunt in Middle Kingdom Tombs and its Significance
Georgia Barker (Speaker)
10 Jun 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
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Impacts of Instability: The Military in Funerary Models, Wall Scenes and Inscriptions at Asyut
Georgia Barker (Speaker)
12 Nov 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk