What do we know about the gender and sex of the wearers and users of stamp seals in the Levant? It turns out, very little. Thus, my thesis inquires how knowledge is produced about seals concerning gender, sex, and sexuality by biblical and archaeological scholarship and within ancient literature.

Previous research has emphasized the marginality of female seal ownership in Iron Age Judahite society. Thereby it frames women's seals as scarce and exceptional items while relying on largely unprovenanced artifacts. Furthermore, this approach lacks a theoretical grounding in feminist theory and gender studies and projects androcentric biases onto individual finds. Engaging with feminist and gender theory as well as archaeology, my research reevaluates dominant interpretations within scholarship discourse and transgresses beyond the Iron Age framework of previous studies.

Based upon this, my thesis investigates the relationship between seals and bodies within material culture and biblical literature. Therefore, I elaborate on how seals and sealing practices are related to ancient bodies, gender, sex, and sexuality. I inquire, how seals—as material culture and within the literature—are part of the production and distribution of knowledge and power concerning gender and body norms?

• Feminist and Queer Theory and its intersections with archaeology and biblical interpretation
• Gender-historical perspectives on the history and archaeology of the Levant
• Postcolonial Theory and Biblical Studies
• Sensory Studies and Levantine Material Culture

• “Intersecting Stamp Seals and Gendered Bodies: A Case Study of the MB IIB Rishon le-Zion Cemetery.” In: Ido Koch and Stefan Münger (eds.), Studies on Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant (Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis), Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen, forthcoming.
• “Zwischen Feminisierung und Virilität: Körperdiskurse zwischen Imperium und Androzentrik in Ezechiel 23,” Lectio difficilior 2021 (2).

• Sean W. Dever Memorial Prize: W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research; Awarded for the best paper presented at a conference in 2021 about a topic in the field of Syro-Palestinian or Biblical Archaeology for the paper ”Seals from the Southern Levant and Gender Archaeology: Theoretical and Practical Considerations” at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in San Antonio in November 2021
• Student Prize Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies: European Association of Biblical Studies
• Hanna Jursch Young Scientist Award of the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD): Awarded for the final thesis “Embodied Metaphors. Metaphoric Construction of Gendered Bodies in Between Eroticism, Accusation and Violence in Ezek 23:1–30.”

• “Materielle Kultur und Biblische Texte aus geschlechtergeschichtlicher Sicht: Eine Studie anhand von Stempelsiegeln.” Schweizer Sozietät Altes Testament in Basel, CH; September 2022.
• “Beyond Binaries in Biblical Studies and Levantine Archaeology.“ 24th congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament in Zurich, CH; August 2022.
• “Mystical Unification, Heterosexual Marriage, or Queer Sex? The Significance of Sexuality in the Interpretation of the Song of Songs.“ Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Toulouse, FR; July 2022.
• “Un\stable Names? Embodiment and Inscribed Seals from the Iron Age III Southern Levant.“ Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Toulouse, FR; July 2022.
• “Where are your Daughters, Jerusalem? The Embodiment of Gender and Family Relations in Iron Age Levantine Glyptics.” Gender and Methodology in the Ancient Near East 5; Centre of Excellence for Ancient Near Eastern Empires of the University of Helsinki, FI; June 2022.
• “Gender in between Embodiment, Material Culture, and Literature: A Case Study of Levantine Stamp Seals.“ (En)Tangled? Gender and Religion throughout History, University of Zurich, CH; May 2022.
• “Relating Seals from the Southern Levant and Gender Archaeology. Theoretical and Practical Considerations.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in San Antonio, TX, USA; November 2021.
• “Intersecting Stamp Seals and Gendered Bodies.” Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Chicago, IL, USA; November 2021.
• “Wearing a Seal as Conceptual Metaphor and Bodily Experience.” Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Wuppertal, GER; August 2021.
• “Wearing a Seal as Conceptual Metaphor. Tracing a Conceptual Metaphor In the Song of Songs and In Its Relation to Bodily Experience.” Graduate Symposium of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Mainz, GER; Mai 2021.

• “Queer(y)ing Sexualitäten im Hohenlied.” Queer Theology. Eine andere Art von Theologie entdecken!?; 20.03.2022 at the Theological Faculty of the University of Bern (invited lecture).

• Technical assistant at the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Toulouse, FR; July 2022.
• Workshop organisation “Beyond the ‘Biblical World’ Paradigm—New Approaches to Religion, Mediality, and Gender in the Southern Levant.” 24th Congress of the International Organisation for the Study of the Old Testament in Zurich; August 2022 (with Christoph Uehlinger, Silas Klein Cardoso, Fabio Porzia).
• Workshop organisation and chair: “Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible and its Context(s).“ Annual Meeting of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Toulouse; July 2022 (with Christopher Ryan Jones).

• HS 2022 Recent Interdisciplinary Discourses in Biblical Studies. Workshop with M.A. students; Co-teaching with Dr. Nancy Rahn (Bern), David Staub (Bern), and Dr. Judith Filitz (Augsburg).
• FS 2022 Stamp Seals of the Southern Levant in Gender Archaeological Perspective (guest lecturer). M.A./Ph.D. seminar “Stamp Seals from the Southern Levant” of the universities of Bern, Zurich, and Tel Aviv
• FS 2022 Gender and Sexuality in the Old Testament and Ancient Near East. B.A./M.A. seminar; Co-teaching with Prof. Dr. Silvia Schroer and Dr. Patrick Wyssmann, University of Bern
• FS 2015 Introduction to the New Testament. Tutor in New Testament Studies, University of Münster
• HS 2014 Introduction to the Exegesis of the New Testament. Tutor in New Testament Studies, University of Münster
• FS 2014 Introduction to the Exegesis of the New Testament. Tutor in New Testament Studies, University of Münster

• “Sex oder kein Sex? – Bruno Biermann über Interpretation und Funktionen antiker Stempelsiegel,“ 20.05.2022. In: Erleuchtung garantiert—Wissenschaftliche Spotlights auf Religion und Spiritualität, produced by Prof. Dr. Dorothea Lüddeckens, Podcast: https://erleuchtung-garantiert.podigee.io/21-neue-episode (last access: 30.05.2022).
• “Sound of Religion: Kasernenmoschee,“ 15.09.2020. In: Audioguide Basel “Sound of Religion”, produced by M.A. Karima Zehnder, Audioguide: https://www.entwicklung.bs.ch/integration/religion-gesellschaft/audioguide-sound-of-religion.html  (last access: 14.04.2022); in cooperation with Anabel Da Pra.
• Conceptualization, photography, and web design of the project “talar art“: https://www.talarart.org (last access 15.08.2022); in cooperation with Annina Ligniez.
• Josefine Janert, “Wie der Talar Pfarrerinnen verändert.” Evangelisch.de; 23.04.2018 (online): https://www.evangelisch.de/inhalte/149612/23-04-2018/wie-der-talar-pfarrerinnen-veraendert  (last access: 14.04.2022); in cooperation with Annina Ligniez.
• Oliver J. Mahn, “Praktisch, preußisch, pastoral – Der Talar.” In: WDR 5 (radio, podcast, online): https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr5/wdr5-diesseits-von-eden/audio-diesseits-von-eden-ganze-sendung--240.html (last access: 24.01.2018); in cooperation with Annina Ligniez.
• Josefine Janert, “Die Pfarrerin als sexuelles Wesen: Was unter dem Talar steckt.“ Deutschlandfunk Kultur 30.07.2017 (radio, podcast, and online): https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/die-pfarrerin-als-sexuelles-wesen-was-unter-dem-talar-steckt-100.html  (last access 14.04.2022); in cooperation with Annina Ligniez.
• Edith Löhle, “Spagat zwischen Religion & Zeitgeist: Sie ist Pfarrerin & Rockabilly zugleich!“ 01.10.2017 (online): https://www.refinery29.com/de-de/2017/09/173801/frau-sein-in-der-kirche (last access 14.04.2022); in cooperation with Annina Ligniez.
• Annina Ligniez, “Unverschämt offen.“ In: Bildungskirche 01/2018.

• American Society of Overseas Research
• German Society for the Exploration of Palestine
• European Association of Biblical Studies
• Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Orientalische Altertumswissenschaft
• Society of Biblical Literature