Following the award of a European Research Council Advanced Grant to Dr Judith McKenzie (Associate Professor of Late Antique Egypt and the Holy Land), the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford, is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the project. This post will be fixed-term for 24 months, and it is anticipated that the appointee will start on 1 October 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Reporting to Dr Judith McKenzie, the postholder will be a member of a research group with responsibility for carrying out research on the Late Antique Egyptian Art for the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant project, ‘Monumental Art of the Christian and Early Islamic East: Cultural Identities and Classical Heritage’.

This project will analyse the monumental art (large decorative programmes on buildings) of two areas of the former eastern Roman Empire which came under Islamic rule but which have never been the subject of an integrated comprehensive study: Egypt and Syro-Palestine (modern Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine). It aims to determine systematically how the strength and nature of the local ‘classical’ (Greco-Roman) traditions and expressions of identities influenced monumental art in these regions during Late Antiquity (AD 250–750), the period of transition from paganism to Christianity and, in turn, to Islam.

By defining and distinguishing between the different strands of classical influence, both local and external (from the centres of Rome, Constantinople, and Alexandria), and investigating the roles of local artists and artisans as creators rather than imitators, this project will transform our understanding of the artistic culture of the late antique Middle East.

The research on the art of late antique Egypt is particularly focused on ascertaining its distinguishing characteristics, before attempting to detect its wider influence. Substantial work has been completed on monumental figured late antique textiles from Egypt. The focus of the next stage is on painting, both of the 2nd-4th centuries and 5th-7th centuries, before examining the later tradition elsewhere in portable art, such as manuscripts and ivories.

Applicants should hold a PhD/DPhil in Late Antique and Byzantine Art or a related field, together with relevant experience; possess sufficient specialist knowledge of late antique and Byzantine art, especially painting, in particular as it pertains to Egypt, to work within established research programmes; have the ability to manage own academic research and associated activities; have previous experience of writing and contributing to publications, with a track record of publications; possess the ability to contribute ideas for new research projects and research income generation; have excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for publication, present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings; possess good organisational skills, and have a high level of proficiency and accuracy in English suitable for academic publications.