PhD Economic and Political integration in the Roman Empire

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully-funded four-year PhD position in the field of Roman History and Archaeology. The prevised project focuses on wealth concentration and political integration of the provincial elites in the Roman empire.

Recent research suggests that the elites from a few particular provinces were preferentially integrated into the top political networks of the Roman Empire (the senate at Rome). There is a clear relationship between access to these political networks and the accumulation of large personal wealth. This PhD project explores the broader socio-economic context in which these elites were accumulating the required capital for entry into the Roman senate. The core of the project constitutes a comparison of the socio-economic background of elite wealth accumulation in two Roman provinces: the politically well-integrated province Hispania Baetica and the politically less-integrated province Hispania Tarraconensis. For these two provinces, the project investigates the level of regional economic integration (using for example settlement hierarchies and/or infrastructural networks) and the demographic/agricultural structure (using, for example, field survey or site excavation data). The project results will provide a detailed framework to understand the regional variation in wealth accumulation and political participation across the Roman empire. A more elaborate description of the project framework is available upon request (see contact details below).

Under the joint supervision of Dr Tymon de Haas (Archaeology) and Dr Bart Danon (Ancient History), with Prof. Tesse Stek as the professor of record, the successful candidate will develop their own specific focus within these broad parameters, depending on the candidate’s disciplinary background, interests and research experience.

Expectations of the candidate:

• Engage in regular meetings with supervisors to discuss the PhD project development.
• Write three publishable articles/chapters, with supervisory guidance.
• Complete PhD project within 4 years.
• Attend and present ongoing research at conferences, colloquia, summer/winter schools.
• Participate in the activities of OIKOS (the National Research School in Classical Studies).
• Teach a total of 0.4 FTE spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment within the BA History and/or Archaeology programs.
• Move to Groningen or its immediate environs.

Organisation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5,000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

Qualifications

• A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in any field related to the project (Ancient History, Archaeology, Classics, etc.) with high academic merit. Candidates who are in the process of completing their Master's degree at a date between the deadline of this application and the start date are also encouraged to apply.
• Previous knowledge of Roman history, preferably also of Roman Iberia.
• Affinity with social-economic research, quantitative methods and spatial analysis (candidates with experience with analysing archaeological data are preferred, archaeological excavation skills are not required).
• Excellent analytical skills and capacity to do innovative interdisciplinary research.
• A clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• At least passive, but preferably active knowledge of Spanish is an asset (or alternatively the willingness to learn).

Organisation

Conditions of employment

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

• A salary of € 2,770 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,539 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• Willingness to move and reside in The Netherlands.

The appointment will commence in February/March 2025 at the latest. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.