Ash Melika, PhD

Professor of Archaeology/Anthropology

Office Phone: 951-552-8799
E-mail: amelika@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: James 140
Office Hours:

Degree Major Emphasis Institution Year
PhD Anthropology/Egyptology University of Leicester, England 2015
M.Div. Semitic Languages, Hebrews Scriptures, and the ancient Near East Princeton Theological Seminary 2003
M.A. Culture Anthropology/Archaeology Columbia University 2000
M.A. Egyptology New York University 1997
B.A. Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology The City University of New York 1994
  • Additional Education

    . Participated in archaeological training at Saqqara, Egypt.
    . Involved in a research project of several tombs at the Giza Plateau,
    Egypt.
    . A team member for two seasons at Tell el-Borg excavation site, North Sinai, Egypt.

  • Courses Taught

    - Introduction to Archaeology: Ancient Near East
    - Introduction to Archaeology: Egypt
    - Introduction to Archaeology: Levant
    - Introduction to Physical Anthropology and Archaeology
    - Anthropological Theory
    - Language and Culture
    - Anthropology of Religion
    - Cultural Anthropology
    - Introduction to Anthropology
    - Race, Class, & Gender
    - Global Conflict
    - World History: Antiquity to 1500 AD
    - History of the Middle East
    - Introduction to Arabic II
    - Introduction to Religion
    - Dynamics of Religious Experiences
    - Religions of the World
    - Introduction to Sociology
    - Sociology of Marriage and the Family.

  • Academic Areas & Scholarly Interests

    - Archaeology and Languages of ancient Egypt and the ancient
    Near East
    - Wisdom Literature in Egypt and the Near East (ancient and
    modern)
    - Anthropology of Religion
    - Eastern Christianity (Monastic Theology)
    - Anthropology of Modern Middle Eastern Minorities
    - Semiotics
    - Material Culture

  • Research, Presentations, & Publications

    Publications:
    "The Founding of the Temple in Ancient Egypt: Ritual and Symbolism," in An Excellent Fortress for His Armies, A Refuge for the People": Egyptological, Archaeological, and Biblical Studies in Honor of James K. Hoffmeier, 2020.

    Presentations:
    . “The Founding of the Temple in ancient Egypt and Israel,” Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion, CA, (10/2014)
    . “The Materialization of ancient Egyptian Kingship ideology in the New Kingdom (c.a. 1550-1070 BC)”, Southwestern Anthropological Association, CA, (4/2014).
    . "Signs of Protest: The Semiotics of the Egyptian Revolution of 25 January," American Ethnological Society, NY, (April 2012).
    . "Near Eastern Conceptions of Wisdom," Society of Biblical Literature: Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, NJ, (March 2012).
    . “Isaiah 19:1-15: A Reversal of Egyptian Royal Ideology” Society of Biblical Literature, MA, (November 2008).
    . “Ancient Pharaonic Statues and the Quest for Conception amongst the Rural Population in Egypt,” Northeastern Anthropological Association, MA (March 2007).

    Session Chair:
    . Invited Session Chair, Society in Ancient Egypt at the “International Congress of Egyptologists, XI”, Florence, Italy Session Chair (August 2015).

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  • Church Membership & Activities

    Saddleback Church - Lake Forest, CA

  • Community Service & Involvement

    Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE Certificate Awarded)
    . Chaplaincy Work Services at Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, Staten Island, NY.
    . Chaplaincy Work Services in the Emergency Room at Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY.

  • Personal Philosophy

    An age without passion has no values, and everything is transformed into representational ideas.
    -Kierkegaard