Harem conspiracies, the assassinations of kings, witch hunts, and serial murderers.
These dark subjects are at the heart of one of the first classes that Victoria Almansa-Villatoro has taught at Yale, "Six Global Perspectives on Evil." Part of the "Six Global Perspectives" seminars that introduce first-year students to the study of the humanities, the course analyzes how the ways in which evil is perceived, and crime is punished, have changed throughout history.
Modeled after a course she taught while pursuing her Ph.D. at Brown University, it has found an enthusiastic audience at Yale - roughly 50 students signed up for a seminar that can only accommodate 18.
"We're having a very good time," said Almansa-Villatoro, an assistant professor of Egyptology in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "In every module, we look at a different historical civilization and how murder is conceptualized in mythology and in the legal system. And at the end of the module, we do a cold case discussion. For example, we discussed the death of Tutankhamun. I give them readings, and based on that, half of the class makes a case that he was murdered, and the other half argues that he died of natural causes."
She specializes in translating ancient Egyptian - a puzzle she's been intrigued by since the age of 16 - and is also teaching a course on ancient Egyptian language and writing.
In the latest edition of Office Hours, a Q&A series that introduces new Yale faculty members to the broader community, Almansa-Villatoro sat down with Yale News to talk about politeness in ancient Egypt, her archaeological expeditions, and her love of a good horror film.
| Title | Assistant professor of Egyptology |
|---|---|
| Research interest | Ancient Egyptian language and writing |
| Prior institution | Post-doc fellowship, Harvard Society of Fellows |
| Started at Yale | July 1, 2025 |
What aspect of Egyptology do you study?
Victoria Almansa-Villatoro: I'm interested in ancient Egyptian language. I use language to understand Egyptian society and how the Egyptian mind worked in the third millennium B.C.E. And in particular I focus on politeness - how Egyptians communicated when talking to superiors or to peers and what that can tell us about how the Egyptians thought and how they saw themselves and others in society. In modern Western societies, politeness is more of a deferential thing. You try to create some distance between yourself and the other person as a way of showing respect. In ancient Egypt it's the opposite. You try to be more intimate with the other person. You try to emphasize common ground and friendship, connectivity. It's all about breaking the distance rather than creating the distance.
What sources do you use to study politeness?
Almansa-Villatoro: I study mostly letters. There are other sources where you can look at politeness, like religious texts. You can see how Egyptians communicated with the king, how the Pharaoh communicated with gods, for example. But I want to see real examples of communication through letters.
Have you worked at archaeological digs in Egypt?
Almansa-Villatoro: Yes, I am a member of a project that excavates in Giza, close to the pyramids. The first time I went there I was participating as an archaeologist and contributing to the broader project, which was to understand this site where the workers who were building the pyramids lived. But then I became more specialized and started studying ancient Egyptian seal impressions found on the site. These were made of clay - they would roll impressed cylinder seals on a piece of clay and then use that piece to seal jars and other things. We find those seal impressions on the site. Some have a bit of text on them. We only find them in pieces, but you can find different pieces of the same seals and reconstruct the theoretical shape by putting together the little pieces.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
Almansa-Villatoro: Since I'm starting a new job, I haven't had much time when I'm not working! But seriously, I like reading. And I like watching horror movies, which probably explains why I'm teaching a course on evil! And when I have the time, I like to work out. I'm living in Wallingford, and I love the food scene there and how green it is. And I really like New Haven - it's such a vibrant and artsy city.
