Victor Ghica

Professor

Antiquity and Early Christian Studies
Victor.Ghica@mf.no
Office: 478E
Phone number: 22590577

Professional competence areas:

Ancient North Arabian Epigraphy
Christianity in the Western and Eastern Deserts of Egypt
Coptic papyrology and epigraphy
Copto-Arabic literature
Early Christian and Gnostic texts
Late antique archaeology
Material culture of 4th century Christianity
Syriac literature

I joined the MF University as Professor of Antiquity and Early Christian Studies in 2015, prior to which I held a tenured lectureship at the Department of Ancient History of Macquarie University, in Sydney. Early career research and teaching appointments included positions at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (Cairo) and Université Laval (Quebec City).

My research interests span several fields relating to Late Antiquity and Early Christianity, from archaeology (particularly Egypt and Dalmatia), to languages (mainly Coptic, Old Egyptian, Arabic, Syriac, Ancient North Arabian), epigraphy, papyrology, etc. Over the last twenty years, I have been leading several archaeological projects on behalf of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology. Since 2014, I direct also the excavations at Bribir, in Croatia. I am currently the PI of the ERC-funded research project DEChriM and I lead the excavations at Dush (Kharga Oasis) and Tell Ganub Qasr al-Aguz (Bahriyya Oasis), and co-direct those at Shams al-Din, Dayr Mustafa Kashif and Ayn Gallal (Kharga Oasis).

Latest academic publications

View all publications on the Cristin website...

Ghica, V. & Williams, R. & Gehad, B. & Elefante, M. (2024). The 2021 excavation season at Dayr Muṣṭafā Kāšif (Kharga Oasis), Analecta Papyrologica, s. 149 - 182. Analecta Papyrologica, ISSN: 1122-2336
Ghica, V. (2023). Archéologie de la religion dans l’oasis de Kharga aux époques romaine et byzantine – Douch (2022), Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l’étranger, Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l’étranger, ISSN: 2732-687X
Ghica, V. & Williams, R. & Gehad, B. & Elefante, M. & David, R. G. & Morand, N. (2023). The 2021 Excavation Season at Šams al-Dīn (Kharga Oasis), Analecta Papyrologica, s. 149 - 202. Analecta Papyrologica, ISSN: 1122-2336
Reed, K. & Ghica, V. & Smuk, A. & Dugonjić, A. & Mihaljevic, M. & Filipović, S. (2022). Untangling the Taphonomy of Charred Plant Remains in Ritual Contexts : Late Antique and Medieval Churches and Graves from Croatia, Journal of Field Archaeology, s. 164 - 174. Journal of Field Archaeology, ISSN: 0093-4690
Ghica, V. & Schram, V. (2022). Trois stèles funéraires chrétiennes de Bilād al-Rūm, Sīwa (IVe-Ve s.), Analecta Papyrologica, s. 29 - 59. Analecta Papyrologica, ISSN: 1122-2336
Ghica, V. & Williams, R. & Mendieta, Z. B. & Schram, V. (2021). Culture matérielle du christianisme égyptien : les déserts Occidental et Oriental (2020). Ganub Qasr al-Aguz. , Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l’étranger, Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l’étranger, ISSN: 2732-687X
Ghica, V. (2019). L'archéologie du monachisme égyptien au IVe siècle : État de la question, Nag Hammadi à 70 ans: Qu'avons-nous appris? Nag Hammadi at 70: What Have We Learned?,, s. 121 - 154. Peeters Publishers, ISBN: 978-90-429-3630-0
Ghica, V. & Milošević, A. & Uroda, N. & Džino, D. (2019). Varvaria / breberium / bribir archaeological project. The 2016 excavation season, Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, s. 143 - 163. Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, ISSN: 1330-7274
Ghica, V. & Milosevic, A. & Uroda, N. & Dzino, D. (2018). Arheoloski projekt Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir u 2016.godini = Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir Archeological Project. The 2016 excavation season, Starohrvatska prosvjeta, s. 9 - 56. Starohrvatska prosvjeta, ISSN: 0351-4536
Ghica, V. & Milosevic, A. & Uroda, N. & Dzino, D. (2017). Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir archaeological project. The 2015 excavation season, Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, s. 776 - 796. Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, ISSN: 1330-7274
Ghica, V. (2017). Les Actes de Pierre et des douze Apotres (NH VI,1), Peeters Publishers, ISBN: 978-90-429-3268-5
Ghica, V. (2016). Two Newcomers in the B5 Family : the Naqlun Kalandologia, Coptic Society, Literature and Religion from Late Antiquity to Modern Times: Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies, Rome, September 17th-22nd, 2012, and Plenary Reports of the Ninth International Congress of Coptic Studies, Cairo, September 15th-19th, 2008,, s. 1339 - 1348. Peeters Publishers, ISBN: 978-90-429-3273-9
Ghica, V. & ST Demiana, A. (2016). "His Toil was not in Vain" : Two Unpublished Coptic Fragments of the Encomium on Athanasius Attributed to Cyril of Alexandria (IFAO inv. 79-80), Coptic Society, Literature and Religion from Late Antiquity to Modern Times: Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies, Rome, September 17th-22nd, 2012, and Plenary Reports of the Ninth International Congress of Coptic Studies, Cairo, September 15th-19th, 2008,, s. 953 - 968. Peeters Publishers, ISBN: 978-90-429-3273-9
Ghica, V. & Milosevic, A. & Uroda, N. & Dzino, D. (2016). Arheološki projekt Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir u 2015. godini = Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir Archaeological Project. The 2015 Excavation Season, Starohrvatska prosvjeta, s. 9 - 47. Starohrvatska prosvjeta, ISSN: 0351-4536
Bausi, A. & Blanchard, M. & Choat, M. & Galadza, P. & Ghica, V. & Loosley, E. (2016). Texts and studies in Eastern Christianity, Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity, s. 1 - 514. Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity, ISSN: 2213-0039
Ghica, V. & Milosevic, A. & Dzino, D. (2015). Varvaria / Breberium / Bribir Archaeological Project. The 2014 Excavation Season, Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, s. 335 - 355. Hortus Artium Medievalium. Journal of the International Research Center for Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, ISSN: 1330-7274

Research projects

DEChriM - Deconstructing Early Christian Metanarratives: Fourth-Century Egyptian Christianity in the Light of Material Evidence

Education and practice

2015 - 2023
Ph.D. supervisor, Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University (Sydney)

2015 - d.d.
Professor of Antiquity and Early Christian Studies, MF vitenskapelig høyskole

2011 - 2014
Lecturer, Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University (Sydney)

2009 - 2010
Associate lecturer, Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University (Sydney)

2005 - 2009
Post-doctoral research fellow, Institut français d’archéologie orientale (Cairo)

2003 - 2005
Research and teaching assistant, Université Laval (Québec)

2000 - 2006
Ph.D. in Theology, Université Laval (Québec)

2000 - 2006
Doctorate in Religious Sciences, École pratique des hautes études, Section des sciences religieuses (Paris)

2000 - 2003
Editor, Institut français d'archéologie orientale (Cairo)

1999 - 2000
M.A. in Religious Sciences, École pratique des hautes études, Section des sciences religieuses (Paris)

1999
Diploma of Literary Arabic, Université "La Sorbonne nouvelle" (Paris III), Institut d'études arabes et islamiques

1998
Certificate of Literary Arabic, Université "La Sorbonne nouvelle" (Paris III), Institut d'études arabes et islamiques

1997 - 1999
B.A. in Arabic and Islamic Studies, Pontificium Institutum Studiorum Arabicorum et Islamisticae (Rome)

1996 - 2002
Licentiate in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Pontificium Institutum Biblicum (Rome)

1992 - 1996
B.A.Hons., Universitatea Bucuresti

Voluntary position

2022 - 2027
Director of the research programme "Archéologie de la religion dans l’oasis de Kharga aux époques romaine et byzantine" (Institut français d'archéologie orientale)

2022 - d.d.
Director of the archaeological excavations of Dush (Kharga Oasis, Egypt)

2021 - d.d.
Co-director of the Norwegian-Egyptian Mission in Kharga Oasis and of the excavations at Dayr Mustafa Kashif, Shams al-Din and Ayn Gallal

2019 - 2025
Principal investigator of the ERC-COG project "Deconstructing Early Christian Metanarratives: Fourth-Century Egyptian Christianity in the Light of Material Evidence" (DEChriM)

2017 - 2021
Director of the research programme "Culture matérielle du christianisme égyptien" (Institut français d'archéologie orientale)

2016 - 2019
Coordinator of the MPhil programme in History of Religions, MF vitenskapelig høyskole

2014 - d.d.
Field director of the archaeological excavations of Bribir (Croatia); co-director of "Varvaria-Breberium-Bribir Archaeological Project"

2014
Coordinator of the MA programme in Ancient History, Macquarie University (Sydney)

2012 - 2014
Coordinator of the programmes in Coptic Studies (MA, GradCert, PhD), Macquarie University (Sydney)

2011 - 2016
Director of the research programme "Le christianisme des déserts égyptiens" (Institut français d'archéologie orientale)

2011 - d.d.
Member of the editorial board of the series Texts and Studies in Eastern Christianity (Brill)

2009 - 2020
Director of the archaeological excavations of Tell Ganub Qasr al-'Aguz (Bahriyya Oasis, Egypt)

2005 - 2010
Director of the research programme "Chrétiens d'Égypte dans le désert Occidental" (Institut français d'archéologie orientale)