Two PhD positions (3 years each) are available at the University of Bologna (Department of Philosophy and Communication studies) within the ERC project (Consolidator Grant): “Alchemy in the Making: From ancient Babylonia via Graeco-Roman Egypt into the Byzantine, Syriac and Arabic traditions (1500 BCE -1000 AD)”, Acronym: AlchemEast.

The AlchemEast project is devoted to the study of alchemical theories and practices as they appeared and developed in distinct, albeit contiguous (both chronologically and geographically) areas: Graeco-Roman Egypt, Byzantium, and the Near East, from Ancient Babylonian Times to the early Islamic Period. Applicants are expected to propose research projects dealing with the ancient alchemical tradition.

Proposals may focus on the analysis of a specific set of primary sources -- depending on the historical period on which the applicant prefers to focus on, primary sources may include alchemical writings in Akkadian, Greek, Syriac or Arabic. The proposals may also focus on a wider and cross-cutting analysis of topics connected to important issues pertaining to the ancient alchemical science and its relations with close fields, such as natural philosophy and medicine.

The doctoral research shall result either in editions and translations of ancient alchemical writings or in monographs focused on central issues of the ancient history of alchemy.

The two scholarships are part of the PhD programme: “Philosophy, Science, Cognition and Semiotics”.