Estera Golian

Since 2024
University Assistant (Praedoc) at the Department of Late Antique and Early Christian Archaeology and Fellow of the Doctoral School of Historical and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna.

PhD in Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna
Dissertation project topic: “Between Ideology and Pragmatism: The Conversion of Egyptian Temples in Late Antiquity Based on the Case Study of the Repit Temple in Athribis”
Supervisors: Univ.-Prof. Basema HAMARNEH, PhD; Priv.-Doz. MMag. Dr. Andreas PÜLZ

2023 and 2024
Project collaboration within the “ Kulturerbe digital”-Projekt “Collection Digitization in Volunteer-Run Museums in Lower Austria/ Sammlungsdigitalisierung in ehrenamtlich geführten Museen in Niederösterreich”

2022 - 2024
Gallery Assistant at “Kunsthandel Prof. Alfred Kolhammer”

2022
Research studies on archaeology in the Vjosatal, Albania, commissioned by the Austrian Academy of Sciences

2021 - 2023
Research and student project collaboration as part of the Lead Agency project "Sacred Topography of a Monastic Landscape and Its Development on the Hill of Dra Abu el-Naga / Upper Egypt. Deir el-Bachit and the Theban Paulos Monastery," commissioned by the German Archaeological Institute

2021
Tutor for the excavation in Jordan at the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna

2019 and 2021
Tutor for the introductory lecture “Introduction to Late Antique and Early Christian Archaeology” at the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna

2018 - 2022
Master's degree in Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna
Title of Master's thesis: “Hygiene and Sanitation in Late Antique Egypt: Investigations of Latrines from the 4th to 7th Century AD”
Supervised by: Univ.-Prof. Basema HAMARNEH, PhD
Graduated with honours

2017 - 2023
Student project collaboration as part of the Lead Agency project "Sacred Topography of a Monastic Landscape and Its Development on the Hill of Dra Abu el-Naga / Upper Egypt. Deir el-Bachit and the Theban Paulos Monastery," commissioned by the Austrian Academy of Sciences

2016 - 2017
Student assistant at the Institute of History at the University of Vienna as part of the Lise Meitner project “Breaks, Reorientation, Continuity: The Field of ‘Classical Archaeology’ at the University of Vienna from 1898 to 1951.”

2014 - 2018
Bachelor's degree in Classical Archaeology at the University of Vienna

Research Interests: Late Antique and Early Christian Archaeology, Monastic Archaeology, Late Antique Egyptian Society, Political and Religious Transformation Processes between Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Gender Studies and Women in Late Antiquity

Current Research Project: My research focuses on the developments in Egypt between the 1st and 8th centuries AD. As part of my doctoral project, I am examining the religious and political transformation of society in Egypt. In particular, I concentrate on sacred monuments, whose functions have significantly changed over the decades.
A central element of my research is the temple in Athribis, which became part of a female monastic complex in Late Antiquity. This transformation of the temple from a traditional religious center to a place associated with female spirituality and community opens new perspectives on the role of women in society during this time. Therefore, I also integrate aspects of women's history and gender studies into my investigations to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the social dynamics and gender relations in ancient Egyptian society.
The transformation processes that are evident in both the architectural substance and the material culture form the basis of my analysis. By examining these changes, I aim to gain deeper insights into the political and social developments of Late Antiquity. My goal is to illuminate the interactions between religious practices, political structures, and social identities, thereby contributing to the exploration of the complex history of Egypt during this critical transitional phase.

Publications:

B. Hamarneh — D. Bianchi — E. Golian, Catalogue, in: B. Hamarneh — D. Bianchi (Hrsg.), Architecture as Sacred Space. Shaping the Holy in Late Antiquity and Byzance (Wien 2024)
E. Golian, Umweltfaktoren im Zusammenhang mit der monastischen Architektur inden Kellia (Ägypten): Auswirkungen, Modularität, Wiederverwertung, in S. Archut –S. Schrenk (Hrsg.), Variatio in Kunst und Handwerk. Modulare Arbeitsweise inspätantiker und frühbyzantinischer Zeit, Heilderberg 2022, 191-211. books.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/propylaeum/catalog/book/1033/chapter/14007
B. Hamarneh — F. Eder — E. M. Golian — A. Habrich — C. M. Hansen — T. Leutgeb— M. Löffler — F. Male — D. Schraml — T. Zischkin, The 2019 Austrian Al JumaylProject: Preliminary Report, Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 61,2021, 251-274.