Missions

The postdoctoral research will be carried out as part of the research programme entitled Water Policies in the Near East, from Sumer to the Present Day (winner of the 2023 call for projects from the Collège de France's Programme Avenir Commun Durable). It will be specifically dedicated to the 'Ugarit' component of the programme and will aim to bring together all the archaeological documentation (scientific exploitation of excavation archives) providing information on water management in the city of Ugarit .
This component is led by the Syrian-French archaeological mission at Ras Shamra – Ugarit (Syria).

The scientific field of work is geoarchaeology, specialising in the field of water management. The work will be based on the analysis of documentation related to the excavations conducted on the tell of Ras Shamra since 1929, under the supervision of V. Matoïan.

Activités

The research activity will have several objectives:.
to collaborate in the operation to collect and analyse archival and published documentation in order to establish a catalogue of the hydraulic structures uncovered on the tell of Ras Shamra, ancient Ugarit: stone and ceramic pipes, wells, basins, tanks, cesspools, water rooms, etc.);
. produce a summary (mapping, use and consumption, quantification) of water management in a Mediterranean capital during the Bronze Age..
this reference document will be used in particular to develop a field research programme when excavations can resume;.
The aim will be to publish this reference document in the Ras Shamra–Ugarit series (Peeters Editions);
. Update the GIS on the city of Ugarit..
Participate in seminars and in the preparation of the closing exhibition of the Sustainable Common Future programme (to be held in early 2027)..
Participate in the closing conference of the Sustainable Common Future programme (to be held in February 2027).

Compétences

Candidates must hold a PhD in one of the following fields: geoarchaeology or archaeology, geomatics.

Good knowledge of Bronze and Iron Age archaeology in the Levant, particularly the Ugaritic civilisation.

Experience in the geoarchaeological study of ancient hydraulics.

A solid level of geomatics is essential (QGIS or ArcGIS).

The ability to conduct research independently must be demonstrated by at least one publication as first or second author related to the theme and activities of the project.

Excellent writing skills in French are essential, as is a good command of spoken and written English.

The ability to work in a collective and multidisciplinary environment is essential.

Contexte de travail

The postdoctoral project is part of a collaboration between two research units – UMR 7192 PROCLAC – Near East, Caucasus: languages, archaeology, cultures (CNRS, Collège de France) and UMR 5133 Archéorient – and the Syrian-French archaeological mission at Ras Shamra-Ugarit. It is part of a series of research projects aimed at deepening our knowledge of the northern Levant in the Late Bronze Age.

From a scientific standpoint, its objective is to advance knowledge of human-environment dynamics by combining archaeological, geographical and historical approaches. This research is part of a geoarchaeological and historical approach that aims to document the relationship between humans and their environment and water management in a Mediterranean capital at the end of the Bronze Age. It is part of a cooperative and training framework involving French, European and Syrian researchers.

The working environment (workstation) will be provided by the host UMR (PROCLAC, funded by the Avenir Commun Durable call for projects).

The successful candidate will join the UMR 7192 PROCLAC team – Near East, Caucasus: languages, archaeology, cultures (CNRS, Collège de France).

Scientific supervision will be provided by Valérie Matoïan, French director of the Syrian-French archaeological mission at Ras Shamra-Ugarit and head of team 2 of the UMR Proclac.

Contraintes et risques

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Informations complémentaires

The Job Portal application must include the following documents (in French and/or English)
- A covering letter (in French and English)
- A detailed CV clearly outlining skills

You must also send the following documents by email to : valerie.matoian@college-de-france.fr ; Nicolas.Jacob@univ-lyon2.fr; bernard.geyer@orange.fr)
- The thesis defence report
- One or two publications illustrating the skills sought for the project.
- A document (maximum 3 pages) detailing how the applicant intends to fit into the program and meet the objectives set.