PhD Scholarship in Middle Eastern Archaeology (sourcing) at the Department of Cross-Cultural an

Position: PhD Scholarship in Middle Eastern Archaeology (sourcing) at the Department of Cross-Cultural an[...]
Location: St. Catharines

PhD Scholarship in Middle Eastern Archaeology at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
The Section for Ancient Culture Studies at Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies invites applications for a three-year PhD scholarship starting from 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is offered within the framework of the Networks Before Agriculture:
Social Interaction in Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Jordan project and will focus on the geological sourcing of inorganic raw materials. The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and led by Professor Tobias Richter.
The Introduction
The PhD programme is a study programme which aims at training PhD Fellows at an international level to undertake research, development, knowledge dissemination and teaching assignments. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis which the student must defend at a public defence. The standard duration of the PhD programme is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS.
A PhD degree opens a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses, and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public.
The PhD Fellow will work in the interdisciplinary Ancient Culture Studies section, which consists of Assyriology, Middle Eastern Archaeology, Egyptology, and Mesoamerican Studies ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).).
The section focuses on the world’s earliest complex societies in the Middle East and Mesoamerica and the lasting legacies of their ideas. Our research and teaching span combines ancient languages and archaeology to understand some of the most significant transformations in our collective past, including the rise of villages and cities, the emergence of writing and religion, and the development of technology, craftsmanship, political power, and social inequality.

Our researchers study both ancient texts and material culture, as well as the context of these past legacies in the present.
The Project
The Networks Before Agriculture:
Social Interaction in Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Jordan project focuses on reconstructing the emergence and development of socio-material networks during the Final Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Levant and how such networks contributed to the spread of the Neolithic way of life. The project applies an innovative combination of geological, material culture and computer-based methods to reconstruct how people exchanged raw materials and shared knowledge during the transition from foraging to farming in southwest Asia.

Drawing on materials from the Qa’ Shubayqa in eastern Jordan the project will test different models of prehistoric social interaction and will provide new insights into how social networks arose and developed.
The PhD fellow will conduct thin-section optical analysis, XRD, and SEM/EDX analysis of inorganic raw materials from Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic sites in the Qa’ Shubayqa to trace sources of raw materials in the region. The role will involve conducting primary data collection and analysis using these methods, fieldwork in Jordan, teaching in the department, presenting at scientific meetings, and co-organizing an international workshop.

The PhD fellow will collaborate with colleagues at the Globe Institute and the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, and the Department of Geology at the University of Jordan. All PhD fellows must complete a short secondment at another research institution as part of their degree program.
This role will suit applicants with a prior degree in geology who intend to transition into geoarchaeology or archaeologists who want to develop a specialism in geoarchaeological methods. Applicants should have…