In Memoriam

Robert Ritner

May 5, 1953 July 25, 2021

Former Professor of Egyptology

Research Interests

Egyptology; Magic; Religion; Demotic Studies

Portrait of Robert Ritner

About

Robert K. Ritner (1953–2021), former Rowe Professor of Egyptology at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures and the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, was one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation. He earned his PhD with honors from the University of Chicago in 1987 with a dissertation on ancient Egyptian magical practice, later published as The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice, which continues to be an ISAC best seller. Ritner taught at the University of Chicago from 1987 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2021, following an appointment at Yale University. His scholarship transformed the study of Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, Demotic texts, and Egypt’s interactions with neighboring cultures. His major publications include The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period and The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, along with influential translations and studies of magical, medical, funerary, and historical texts. A gifted teacher, lecturer, and mentor, Ritner trained generations of students and shared Egyptology widely through museum work, public lectures, media appearances, and travel programs. Remembered for his brilliance, wit, generosity, and devotion to the field, he left a lasting legacy at ISAC, the University of Chicago, and the international community of Egyptology as a scholar and mentor.

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Education

PhD, with honors Egyptology University of Chicago
1987
BA, with honors Psychology Rice University
1975

ISAC Publications

Select Publications

Books

  • Robert K. Ritner. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.
  • Robert K. Ritner. The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period. Writings from the Ancient World 21. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009.

Articles

  • Foy Scalf and Robert K. Ritner. "Intertextuality between Compilation and Application: A Demotic Spell for Compulsion and the So-Called Greco-Egyptian Magical Formularies." Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 62 (2025): 67–94.
  • Robert K. Ritner. "Jubilating Baboons and the Bes Pantheos." In One Who Loves Knowledge: Festschrift in Honor of Richard Jasnow, edited by Betsy Brian, Mark Smith, Tina DiCerbo, and Marina Escolano-Poveda, pp. 335–44. Material and Visual Culture of Ancient Egypt 6. Atlanta: Lockwood Press, 2022.
  • Robert K. Ritner. "Confronting and Uniting with Divinity in Ancient Egypt." In Conceptualising Divine Unions in the Greek and Near Eastern Worlds, edited by Eleni Pachoumi, pp. 74–94. Ancient Philosophy and Religion 7. Leiden: Brill, 2021.
  • Robert K. Ritner. "The God Kothos." Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete 67:1 (2021): 138–145.
  • Robert K. Ritner. "The 'God' Ptiris and the Curses of Philae." In Guardian of Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Zahi Hawass, edited by Janice Kamrin, Miroslav Bárta, Salima Ikram, Mark Lehner, and Mohmed Megahed, volume III, pp. 1359–1370. Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 2020.
  • Robert K. Ritner and Foy Scalf. "Anubis, Archer Figures, and Demotic Magic." Göttinger Miszellen 259 (2019), 185–212.

Robert Ritner | A Game of Thrones and Coffins: The Death and Resurrection of Osiris

In Memoriam