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Funding/May 14, 2018

PhD position in Late Antiquity, University of Lille

PhD position in Late Antiquity, University of Lille lead image

The DANUBIUS project proposes to study the Christianisation of the Lower Danube, between the 3rd and the 8th centuries AD. That research topic has not resulted in any complete synthesis since Jacques Zeiller’s Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l’Empire romain (Paris, 1918). The projet presented here – which is the first stage of a long-term international and interdisciplinary research program – will thus reconsider the question in the light of the scientific advances made in the last hundred years, both in terms of history and archaeology, for a better understanding of the simultaneous evolution of its ecclesiastical organisation and Christian topography. At first, the project will, however, focus more on the last reaches of the Danube to be lost by Constantinople, which is also the part of the river which is best documented from literary sources, viz. the Lower Danube (the Late Roman provinces of Dacia Ripensis, Moesia Secunda and Scythia). To do so, it will develop a geographic information system (GIS) model of the episcopal sees and other Christian sites, structured around three axes. The first axis foresees the compilation of a database of the written and material evidence of Christianisation. The second axis is planned around the archaeological explorations of a little known Late Roman site, viz. Zaldapa (Krushari, Bulgaria), which may be unique in being the only episcopal see of the region planted in an agglomeration that predates the Romans. The third axis, proceeding from part of the documentation collected in the other two, intends to offer a prosopography, as the first step towards the publication of the Balkan volumes of the Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire (PCBE) series. Globally, this collection of data and case studies will be the laboratory for innovative conceptual tools and a new synthesis.

The DANUBIUS project offers one PhD position starting in October 2018. The position is limited to 36 months. The PhD will investigate aspects of the Christianisation of the Lower Danubian region in Late Antiquity, both from the archaeological and historical points of view, in a topic to be negotiated between the selected candidate and the scientific coordinator of the research programme, Dr Dominic Moreau, relying on the project proposed in the application (depending on the topic, there is a possibility of thesis co-supervision).

Requirements

  • Relevant master’s degree in Roman History (High or Late Imperial era), on a topic involving archaeological sources, or in Roman Archaeology, on a topic involving written sources.
  • Interest in the main topic and digital humanities (knowledge in geomatics – GIS models – would be a real asset).
  • Willingness to work on a highly interdisciplinary, collaborative and international research project (many trips to Eastern Europe are planned).
  • Practical experience in archaeology.
  • Knowledge if Latin and Ancient Greek.
  • Proficiency in English (level C).
  • Knowledge, even rudimentary, of French (if the candidate is not fluent in that language, he/she will be strongly encouraged to learn it during the contract), German, Bulgarian and/or Romanian would be an asset.

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