Thais completed her DPhil in Egyptology at Oxford in 2020, focusing on concepts and perceptions of domestic space in the Amarna Workmen’s Village, a settlement that housed the workforce engaged with royal building projects. Thais studied History in her BA and her MPhil was at the Oriental Studies department, both at the University of São Paulo.
Thais is currently part of the Amarna Project which investigates the history and the archaeology of Amarna (https://www.amarnaproject.com/). Tell el-Amarna was the capital of ancient Egypt during the reign ok Akhenaten (1347 and 1332 BCE) and the best archaeological site to understand ancient Egyptian urbanism.
Her current research focuses on ancient Egyptian settlements during the New Kingdom (1550–1069 BCE), combining archaeological and anthropological approaches to material culture and houses. Thais is interested in the intersection of institutional and individuals’ lives and how privacy was constituted and experienced in ancient Egyptian houses.
Thais has extensive teaching experience. She previously worked as a History teacher and museum educator in Brazil. At Oxford, she taught ancient Egyptian art, history and the archaeology of Amarna, and on the latter topic she has also gave several talks recently.