History of Laurel Bestock in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: April 13, 2026

Laurel Bestock is an archaeologist and Egyptologist specializing in the study of kingship, violence, and art and architecture in ancient Egypt, Sudan, and the Nile Valley region. She holds a prominent position as the Joukowsky Family Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World and Egyptology and Assyriology at Brown University. Additionally, she serves as the Executive Director of Excavations at Abydos and a Visiting Research Professor at The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her research contributes significantly to understanding the history and culture of ancient Nile Valley civilizations.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1996: Excavations at the Great Temple in Petra, Jordan

In 1996, Laurel Bestock participated in Martha Sharp Joukowsky's excavations at the Great Temple in Petra, Jordan, as part of her undergraduate studies at Brown University.

1998: Excavations at the Great Temple in Petra, Jordan

In 1998, Laurel Bestock participated in Martha Sharp Joukowsky's excavations at the Great Temple in Petra, Jordan, as part of her undergraduate studies at Brown University.

1999: B.A. from Brown University

In 1999, Laurel Bestock received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University, with a double concentration in Egyptology and Old World Art and Archaeology.

2004: M.A. from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU

In 2004, Laurel Bestock earned her Master of Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU.

2007: Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU

In 2007, Laurel Bestock earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. Her dissertation was titled, The Development of Royal Funerary Cult at Abydos: Two New Funerary Enclosures from the Reign of King Aha, which was later published.

July 2008: Assistant Professor at Brown University

In July 2008, Laurel Bestock returned to Brown University as Assistant Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World and Egyptology and Ancient Western Asia.

2012: Co-director of Uronarti Regional Archaeology Project

In 2012, Laurel Bestock began co-directing the Uronarti Regional Archaeology Project (URAP) in Uronarti, Sudan, excavating a 12th Dynasty fortress and surrounding buildings.

2013: Vartan Gregorian Assistant Professor at Brown University

In 2013, Laurel Bestock was appointed to the position of Vartan Gregorian Assistant Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World & Egyptology and Assyriology at Brown University.

2016: Associate Professor at Brown University

In 2016, Laurel Bestock was granted tenure and the title of Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World & Egyptology and Assyriology at Brown University.

May 2025: Joukowsky Family Associate Professor at Brown University

In May 2025, Brown University's Corporation voted to award Laurel Bestock a named chair position, making her the Joukowsky Family Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World and Egyptology and Assyriology.

2025: Executive Director of Excavations at Abydos

In 2025, the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University appointed Laurel Bestock as the Executive Director of the University's Excavations at Abydos, in Egypt.