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01 February 2021
The Department of Ancient Civilizations of the University of Basel invites applications for two PhD Student positions in Egyptology, from February 1, 2021 , as part of the SNSF-funded PRIMA research project "Au-delà du texte. Les nouvelles compositions funéraires d'époque gréco-romaine: textualités et archéologie à Thèbes" led by Dr. Sandrine Vuilleumier.
The project
In the Ptolemaic period, new funerary compositions with varied contents and formats arose and gradually supplanted the Book of the Dead which had been in circulation for more than a millennium. Although their exact origin remains mostly unknown, the witnesses of these new compositions are reputed to come from Thebes, which encourages to consider the particular role of this region. By setting up a database and initiating a comprehensive analysis of this corpus, the project aims to take into account both the textual evolution of late funerary literature and the archaeological context of its development. It will examine the textuality of the emerging compositions, analyze the formalization processes of their contents, investigate the semiotic relationship that connects illustrations with texts and focus on the transmission of these compositions. The project intends to place this documentation within the framework of the Theban mortuary practices, while considering the influence that local cults and socio-cultural factors may have had. It will for instance focus on the beneficiaries of the documents, as individuals and as members of social groups, in order to portray the men and women who thus bear witness to their posthumous aspirations, and therefore place the emerging funerary compositions at the heart of the concerns of the living. The project aims to offer an in-depth and contextualized knowledge of Greco-Roman funerary compositions as recipients of a millennial use and elements of a reformulated tradition. It proposes a multifaceted approach to funerary literature that will also highlight the societal transformations that favored the emergence, then shaped the evolution of this literature, allowing the late funerary literature to be fully integrated into the history of Greco-Roman Egypt.
Your position
The PhD candidates will focus on their individual dissertation topics, while at the same time contributing to the expansion and refinement of a database. The dissertation projects will analyze and contextualize the constitution and development of late Egyptian funerary productions (with a focus on the Books of breathing). They will associate deep textual analysis with archaeological and socio-historical approaches to consider the evolution of funerary literature and practices in a multicultural society. The PhD dissertations should be completed by January 31, 2025 . The PhD candidates will also help to organize workshops and conferences and edit proceedings and publications. They will present their research at scientific meetings and take part in outreach activities.
Your profile
Applicants should hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in Egyptology (Master's thesis is expected to be completed by start of the position) and demonstrate excellent skills in Hieratic (Demotic would be an asset), have research interest in funerary literature and/or the Greco-Roman Period, be highly motivated to conduct innovative and transdisciplinary research at the intersections of philology, archaeology, history, and digital humanities. Applicants must have an excellent command of English, German or French with good knowledge of the two other languages. They should have good IT-skills (database experience would be an asset) and the ability to cooperate autonomously within internationally and institutionally diverse work environments.
We offer you
A stimulating research environment at the Department of Ancient Civilizations, housing multiple ongoing large-scale research projects on Ancient and Graeco-Roman Egypt and an opportunity to participate in an ambitious research project and potentially take part in archaeological missions in Egypt. We also offer you to benefit from international cooperation and specific doctoral training. The two four-year positions are initially limited to one year and can be extended for a further three years. The conditions of employment follow the guidelines of the University of Basel.
27-03-2024
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