Sami Uljas
Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation; Egyptology
- Telephone:
- +46 18 471 20 79
- E-mail:
- sami.uljas@egyptologi.uu.se
- Visiting address:
- Engelska parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H
- Postal address:
- Box 626
751 26 UPPSALA
Short presentation
Senior lecturer in Egyptology
Research Interests:
Egyptian-Coptic language and linguistics: syntax, semantics, pragmatics, morphology, typology, cross-linguistic comparisons, cognitive and functional aspects of language, methodology and history of Egyptological linguistic research
Coptic philology and literature: hagiographical and martyrological texts; Coptic Bible; codicology; history of Late Antique and Byzantine Egypt

Publications
Recent publications
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Part of Zeitschrift für Agyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 132-138, 2026
- DOI for Why Was the Earlier Egyptian Adjectival Sentence Not Negated: (And Why is that the Wrong Question to Ask)
- Download full text (pdf) of Why Was the Earlier Egyptian Adjectival Sentence Not Negated: (And Why is that the Wrong Question to Ask)
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The Variation between Writings of the Earlier Egyptian Subjunctive sDm-f with or without a Final -y
Part of Lingua Aegyptia Bd. 33 (2025), p. 265-282, Widmaier Verlag, 2025
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Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
Part of UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, p. 1-15, University of California, 2025
- DOI for Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
- Download full text (pdf) of Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
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A note on "hieroglyphic (il)literacy" and access to inscriptions in Ancient Egypt
Part of Hieroglyphs. Studies in Ancient Hieroglyphic Writing, p. 79-92, 2025
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Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 221-254, 2024
All publications
Articles in journal
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Part of Zeitschrift für Agyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 132-138, 2026
- DOI for Why Was the Earlier Egyptian Adjectival Sentence Not Negated: (And Why is that the Wrong Question to Ask)
- Download full text (pdf) of Why Was the Earlier Egyptian Adjectival Sentence Not Negated: (And Why is that the Wrong Question to Ask)
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A note on "hieroglyphic (il)literacy" and access to inscriptions in Ancient Egypt
Part of Hieroglyphs. Studies in Ancient Hieroglyphic Writing, p. 79-92, 2025
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Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 221-254, 2024
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The Paris leaves of the martyrdom of St Apa Nile
Part of Le Muséon, p. 33-46, 2024
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Embedded and adjoined relative clauses in Ancient Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 243-261, 2023
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A note on the Earlier Egyptian direct and indirect genitive
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 57-61, 2022
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Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 274-280, 2022
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Iconicity and semantic-structural mapping in Earlier Egyptian complementation
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 215-238, 2021
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Between the Superpowers: Some Remarks on the Role of Demons in Early Coptic Christianity
Part of Vigiliae christianae (Print), p. 237-252, 2021
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Why not say it straight?: On the pragmatics of indirect speech in Coptic
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 269-284, 2020
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The so-called prothetic i- and the sdm-f paradigms II: The "nominal" sdm-f and a reappraisal
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 259-267, 2020
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Part of Journal of Coptic Studies, p. 225-256, 2019
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Verbal grammaticalisation clines in Coptic
Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 82-99, 2019
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The prothetic i- and the Earlier Egyptian sdm-f paradigm(s)
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 215-225, 2019
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Words on the Move: Some observations on the lexicalisation of kinesis in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 129-137, 2018
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Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 203-218, 2018
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Where to stick an adverbial in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 391-414, 2017
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The Paris Leaves Of The Martyrdom Of Ss Timothy And Martyria
Part of Le Muséon, p. 255-277, 2017
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On clitics in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 111-149, 2016
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On adjunct clause positioning in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Revue d'égyptologie, p. 179-197, 2016
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An unattested section of the New Testament in Fayyumic Coptic
Part of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, p. 68-72, 2015
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Lost Coptic Texts from Herbert Thompson Papers I: 'The Acts of Stephen'
Part of Journal of Coptic Studies, p. 165-213, 2015
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What is and what is not. A very brief note on relative adjectives and negations in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 283-288, 2015
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Illocution and speaker intent in Coptic: the case of the 'Autofocal' Second Tenses
Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptischen Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 205-216, 2015
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Aarteita ullakolla. Kolme kadonnutta koptilaista tekstiä
Part of Kirjuri, p. 1-6, 2014
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St Orsunuphios and friends: resurrecting a lost Coptic martyrdom
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 49-54, 2014
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Various sorts of nothing: a typology of ellipsis in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 215-230, 2014
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Some remarks on a negated Earlier Egyptian nominal sentence and related constructions
Part of Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, p. 241-252, 2013
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Agreement domains and resumption in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 78-83, 2013
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Begging the question. Earlier Egyptian WH-questions and the marking of information structure
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 253-266, 2012
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On adverbial ante-position and operator scope in Coptic
Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 93-102, 2012
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The Cambridge leaves of the Life of Moses of Abydos
Part of Le Museon, p. 1-33, 2012
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A fragment of the Life of Moses of Abydos in the British Library
Part of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, p. 117-122, 2011
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Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 155-174, 2011
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A Sahidic leaf of the Gospel of John in Trinity College, Cambridge
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 93-100, 2011
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The IFAO leaves of the Life of Moses of Abydos
Part of Orientalia, p. 373-422, 2011
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Grammar as a mirror of mind: More on fuzzy boundaries in Egyptian syntax
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 93-100, 2010
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Formally speaking: Observations on a recent theory of the Earlier Egyptian sDm.n=f
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 253-261, 2010
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A leaf of the Coptic Martyrdom of Ptolemy in Cambridge
Part of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, p. 179-184, 2010
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A lexicographic note on an Egyptian crocodile spell
Part of Göttinger Miszellen, p. 101-107, 2010
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A hitherto unattested section of the Sahidic Old testament
Part of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, p. 63-65, 2010
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Archaeology of language: A case study from Middle Kingdom/Second Internediate Period Egypt and Nubia
Part of Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, p. 373-382, 2010
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The forms of the Coptic 2nd person feminine singular pronouns
Part of Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, p. 173-188, 2009
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A note on pronominal resumption in Earlier Egyptian relative clauses
Part of Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, p. 141-148, 2009
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Adverbial sentence WH-questions in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Revue d'égyptologie, p. 147-158, 2009
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Methodological remarks on defining 'verb form' in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 197-212, 2008
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The Earlier Egyptian adjective reconsidered
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 231-250, 2007
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Why (not) leave it 'virtual'?: More on grammar and texture in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 251-262, 2007
Books
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Martyrs and Archangels: Coptic Literary Texts from the Pierpont Morgan Library
Mohr Siebeck, 2019
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Non-Verbal Predication in Ancient Egyptian
Mouton de Gruyter, 2017
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Fuzzy Boundaries: Festschrift für Antonio Loprieno
Vidmaier Verlag, 2015
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The Modal System of Earlier Egyptian Complement Clauses: A Study in Pragmatics in a Dead Language
Brill Academic Publishers, 2007
Chapters in book
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The Variation between Writings of the Earlier Egyptian Subjunctive sDm-f with or without a Final -y
Part of Lingua Aegyptia Bd. 33 (2025), p. 265-282, Widmaier Verlag, 2025
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Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
Part of UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, p. 1-15, University of California, 2025
- DOI for Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
- Download full text (pdf) of Pioneers of Egyptian language studies (1822-1880)
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The so-called prothetic i- in Earlier Egyptian III: The Participles
Part of In the House of Heqanakht, p. 387-399, Brill Academic Publishers, 2023
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Part of The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology, p. 912-929, Oxford University Press, 2020
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Part of Coptic Society, Literature and Religion from Late Antiquity to Modern Times, p. 1147-1152, Peeters Publishers, 2016
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To see an invisible form: paradigms, parallels, and practises once again
Part of Coping with Obscurity: The Brown Workshop on Earlier Egyptian Grammar, p. 98-107, Lockwood Press, 2016
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'He almost heard': a case study of diachronic reanalysis in Coptic syntax
Part of Aere Perennius. Mélanges égyptologiques en l'honneur de Pascal Vernus, p. 465-492, Peeters Publishers, 2016
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The results are unclear.: A note on clauses of result in Earlier Egyptian
Part of Fuzzy Boundaries, p. 277-287, Vidmaier Verlag, 2015
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On Earlier Egyptian control constructions
Part of On Forms and Functions, p. 233-256, Widmaier Verlag, 2014
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Part of UCLA Encyclopaedia of Egyptology, Online: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0rb1k58f, 2013
Conference papers
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Words that bind: Earlier Egyptian language of compulsion and control
Part of Compulsion and Control in Ancient Egypt, p. 224-235, 2023
- DOI for Words that bind: Earlier Egyptian language of compulsion and control
- Download full text (pdf) of Words that bind: Earlier Egyptian language of compulsion and control
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Radiality in Earlier Egyptian grammar
Part of Proceedings of the Fourth Internation Conference on Egyptian Grammar (Crossroads IV), Basel, March 19-22 2009; Lingua Aegyptia 17, p. 277-290, 2009
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'Nominal forms' and irrealis in Middle Egyptian complementation
Part of Actes du IXéme Congrès International des Égyptologues, Grenoble 6–12 septembre 2004. 2 vols, p. 1851-189, 2007
Conference proceedings (editor)
Other
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Part of Lingua Aegyptia, p. 343-348, 2014
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Part of Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, p. 336-341, 2012
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Review of Winand, J. 2006 Temps et aspect en Égyptien. Une approche sémantique
Part of Palarch: Netherlands Scientific Journal, 2007