Herman te Velde was born in Colmschate near Deventer on 3 October 1932. He initially studied Theology and History of Religions at the University of Groningen (1952–58) and soon became interested in the religion of Ancient Egypt. His first steps in Egyptology were taken under the guidance of his beloved teacher Prof. Theo van Baaren, who in the tradition established in Groningen by Gerardus van der Leeuw also taught Egyptian. After spending a year in Marburg to study with Helmuth Jacobsohn (1956–57) he returned to Groningen to work on his doctoral thesis on Seth, God of Confusion, which he defended in 1967. It was published that same year by Brill in the series Probleme der Ägyptologie and soon gained the status of a classic in our field. In 1970 he became the head of the newly founded Institute of Egyptology within the Faculty of Arts of Groningen University, but he also continued to teach Egyptian religion at the Faculty of Theology. He participated in fieldwork in Egypt, joining missions of the IFAO in the Temple of Montu, North Karnak, the University of Pennsylvania at Dra Abu'l Naga, and the Brooklyn Museum in the Temple of Mut, South Karnak. His research focused on Egyptian religion, resulting in important articles about various Egyptian gods and goddesses, notably Horus and Seth, Heka, Shu, and Mut, as well as other aspects of Egyptian mythology and cultural history. He retired in 1997, but for many years continued to read Egyptian texts with a group of his former students. Herman te Velde died in Eelde-Paterswolde on 26 May 2019. He was much loved by his students and his colleagues and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.
Herman te Velde, November 2007 (Photo J. van Dijk).
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Reprinted in: D. B. Redford (ed.), The Ancient Gods Speak. A Guide to Egyptian Religion (Oxford/New York, 2002), 309–311. This title reissued in paperback as The
Oxford Guide to Egyptian Mythology (Oxford/New York, 2003).
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42–47.
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en religie", in: Phœnix 48/1 (2002), 25–45.
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Monotheismus in den Josephsromanen (München, C.H. Beck, 2006),
and idem, Monotheismus und die Sprache der Gewalt, Wiener
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Nexus 48 (2007), 195–198.
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Interviews
"Een klassiek egyptoloog is allergisch voor 'alles met
piramiden'. Prof. dr. Herman te Velde, schriftgeleerde"
[door Jan Fred van Wijnen], in:
Vrij Nederland, 57e jrg. nr. 50, 14 dec. 1996, 18–20.
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"'Hé, daar is Seth'. Hoogleraar egyptologie Herman te Velde
neemt afscheid" [door John Hermse], in:
UK - Universiteitskrant Groningen, 26e jrg. nr. 9, 30
okt. 1997, 11.
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Abbreviations
BiOr | Bibliotheca Orientalis |
BSAK | Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. Beihefte |
CdÉ | Chronique d'Égypte |
JARCE | Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt |
JEA | Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |
JEOL | Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux |
MVEOL | Mededelingen en Verhandelingen Ex Oriente Lux |
OLA | Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta |