PhD position Anchoring Roman rule: Rome-oriented cults and festivals in the Greek world (Anchoring Work Package 3)
Organisation
University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts
Job description
When Rome became the dominant power in the Eastern Mediterranean it anchored its power also in the cultural and religious traditions that connected the Hellenistic world. Agonistic festivals, with athletic and musical competitions, continued to play an important role in this process of connectivity. The Roman conquerors found themselves entangled in this web of connections, starting with Titus Flamininus who famously used the Isthmian games to declare Greek freedom. This project will investigate the history and forms of this entanglement that would culminate in the Roman imperial cult.
This project will be conducted in connection with the NWO-funded project Connecting the Greeks: multi-scalar festivals in the Hellenistic world, directed by Prof. Onno van Nijf and Dr. Christina Williamson. NB Two PhD positions for this project will be advertised separately via the University of Groningen. This project will apply innovative tools, theories and methods derived from social sciences and digital humanities, including network analysis, agent-based modelling, and geographic information systems. A central feature of the project will be the further development of an on-line database of festivals and festival agents (athletes, performers, theoroi). A preliminary version of the database is already available on www.connectedcontests.org. More information on the project may be found on: https://tinyurl.com/connectinggreeks.
More information on the Anchoring Innovation research agenda of OIKOS can be found on the OIKOS website (http://www.ru.nl/oikos/anchoring-innovation/), including an article by Ineke Sluiter, entitled “Anchoring Innovation: a Classical Research Agenda” (http://www.ru.nl/oikos/anchoring-innovation/publications/).
Supervisors:
Prof. Onno van Nijf and Dr Christina Williamson (RUG)
Tasks of the PhD candidate will include:
⁃ completion and defence of a PhD thesis within four years
⁃ contribution to the project database and project website
⁃ participation in meetings of the AI project research group(s)
⁃ active participation in the organisation of the interfaculty research group CRASIS
⁃ presentations of ongoing research at workshops and conferences
⁃ participation in the training programme of the Graduate School and Research School
Requirements
⁃ MA degree in Ancient History, Classics or Archaeology
⁃ good knowledge of ancient Greek
⁃ excellent oral and written skills in English and good knowledge of modern languages (German, French)
⁃ an interest in digital approaches to ancient history (including network theory)
⁃ interest in methodological and theoretical discussions in the field of ancient history
⁃ strong motivation to complete a PhD dissertation in 4 years
⁃ proactive attitude
⁃ excellent social, communicative and writing skills, ability to work in a team.
The candidates will be normally expected to be resident in Groningen
Salary
Salary will be from a minimum of € 2,222 to a maximum of € 2,840 gross per month (based on 38 hours a week). Duration PhD project: 4 years (1,0 fte). The candidate will first be appointed for 12 months. After 9 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate's results and the progress of the project to decide whether the employment will be continued.It is possible to make this into a 0,8 fte position for a period of five years.
Interviews will take place in October 2018. For candidates living abroad interviews may be held via Skype.
Starting date: 1 February 2019.
Job application
Please submit your complete application to Dr. Roald Dijkstra, Coordinator of the Anchoring-programme via anchoring@let.ru.nl before 10 September.
In order to be considered, applications must include the following information (in the same order), in one PDF file (not zipped):
1. Letter of motivation
2. CV, including contact information of two referees
3. Transcript of records
4. Copy of relevant diploma
5. a copy of the passport
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a short research proposal of max 1000-1500 words excluding bibliography.
If you would like to apply for this position, we advise you to contact Prof. Van Nijf o.m.van.nijf@rug.nl or Dr. Williamson c.g.williamson@rug.nl informally beforehand.