PhD within the project "What's wrong? Ancient corrections in Greek papyri from Egypt" (AnCor)

Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) invites applications for a PhD position within the project “What’s wrong? Ancient corrections in Greek papyri from Egypt” (AnCor) (1.0 fte, 4 years).

The PhD candidate will be working within the research project “What’s wrong? Ancient corrections in Greek papyri from Egypt” funded by an ERC Starting Grant (2025-2030), and directed by Dr. Joanne Stolk (Assistant Professor in Greek papyrology at Leiden University).

The project

The Greek papyrus corpus provides an important source for our knowledge of the ancient world and offers an excellent opportunity to study the Greek language as written by non-scholarly writers in antiquity. This project will collect, annotate and study the ancient corrections in this corpus to learn more about the Postclassical Greek language, the process of composition of papyrus documents and the backgrounds of their writers.

A multidisciplinary team of three researchers and a research assistant will analyse ancient corrections at different levels of language production (from spelling and morphology to semantics and phraseology) across a range of different (documentary) genres with the following three key objectives:

1. To create an annotated open-access relational database of ancient corrections in Greek papyri,
2. To study Postclassical Greek spelling from below, as produced and corrected by the ancient writers themselves,
3. To identify the stage of composition of a textual object and make this category an integrated part of the analysis of papyrus documents.

PhD position

The PhD candidate will annotate and study the ancient corrections in a selected corpus of administrative and juridical documents in the database. Administrative and juridical documents were often produced by professional scribes in Roman and Byzantine Egypt. One would perhaps expect professional scribes to produce standard language at all times, but this does not necessarily apply to the professional scribes at lower administration levels in antiquity. More detailed analysis of the language of the documents and scribal practices will help us to get insight into the educational background of these scribes and the way in which they composed their documents.

Key responsibilities

• You will complete a PhD thesis within four years;
• You will contribute to a database on ancient corrections in Greek papyri;
• You will conduct research on administrative and juridical documents from Roman and Byzantine Egypt;
• You will publish your research in peer-reviewed journals or volumes, and at conferences in the Netherlands and internationally;
• You will participate in regular meetings of the project research group;
• You will participate in the training programme of the LUCAS Institute, the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities, the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands (OIKOS), and other relevant masterclasses, summer schools, seminars, workshops, and events;
• You will contribute to the activities of the Leiden Papyrological Institute;
• You will participate in the PhD community and the intellectual life of the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS);
• Subject to progress and demand, you may do some teaching in the second and/or third year of your PhD project, in line with your expertise and prior experience.

Your profile

• You hold a ResMA/MRes or MA with a specialisation in Greek papyrology and/or Greek linguistics;
• Your ResMA/MA should be awarded by time of appointment, with a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten-point scale (distinction or equivalent) for your thesis. If the MA thesis is not yet finished, we invite you to provide contact details for your supervisor in your application letter so we may consult with them on your progress;
• You have well-developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing;
• You have an interest in palaeography, materiality and non-literary texts;
• You have experience with or are willing to learn about databases and quantitative research methods;
• You have full professional working proficiency in English (speaking, writing, reading);
• You have proven time-management skills;
• You are a team player and independent thinker;
• You have the ability to finish the proposed PhD research in 4 years.

International candidates are encouraged to apply but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.

The organisation

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members.

Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Academic Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The institute hosts a range of academic disciplines, clustered around a key research theme: the relationships between the arts and society. Our members study cultural production over the course of two millennia, from classical antiquity to our contemporary world, and teach in programmes ranging from Classics and Book History to Modern Literature, International Studies and Art History. Strengthened by our diversity, LUCAS members are uniquely placed to study the broad concept of the arts, with its rapidly changing ideas, aesthetics, and theories of cultural production. Through research, teaching and outreach, the Institute aims to deepen our understanding, both inside and outside academia, of the cognitive, historical, cultural, creative, and social aspects of human life.

As an academic community, we strive to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, stimulating everyone to get involved and contribute, and connecting scholars from different fields and backgrounds.

Terms and conditions

PhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week; alternatively, the position can be 0.8 FTE for 5 years), starting date 1st of January 2026 (or shortly thereafter). Initially the employee will receive a 14-month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from € 2.901 – 3.707 gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Diversity & inclusion

Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information

Enquiries can be made to the PI of the project, Joanne Stolk (j.v.stolk@hum.leidenuniv.nl). Questions about the procedure can be directed to Jennifer Dijkman (im-lucas@hum.leidenuniv.nl).

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.