Joel Sams
Book of the Dead spell transmission in the 18th and 19th Dynasties: an innovative text-critical approach
Biography
I am a PhD candidate in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, funded by the UK AHRC (NWCDTP), with an MA in Egyptology (Distinction) from Liverpool and a BA (Hons) in Acting from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. I apply diverse digital methods to record, reconstruct, and analyse ancient Egyptian texts, and develop the Bakenseshat software package for Egyptological textual criticism. I co-lead an AI@Cam-funded ArCH Case Study using AI fibre matching to reconstruct fragmentary sections of the Papyrus of Ramose (Fitzwilliam Museum, E.2.1922). I co-authored an article on hieratic ostraca at World Museum, Liverpool, using DStretch and RTI to recover faded texts. As research assistant for Dr. Silvia Zago, I am preparing TT 265's copy of BD spell 78 for publication. I directed the ACE Work in Progress Seminar Series for two years (2023-2025).
Research interests
My research focuses on ancient Egyptian funerary literature, including Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and Book of the Dead spells, exploring their textual development and scribal transmission practices. For my PhD dissertation, I analyse spell transmission in 18th and 19th Dynasty Book of the Dead manuscripts, using computer-assisted stemmatic methods to investigate scribal practices, such as multi-exemplar use. I also study textual materiality and inscription practices (for example in the Pyramid Texts of Pepi I and II, and in KV 34's Amduat). I apply digital humanities tools, including DStretch, RTI, and AI-assisted reconstruction, to enhance textual analysis and recovery. My work advances our understanding of ancient scribal processes, Egypt’s funerary textual heritage, and its cultural significance.