Research Associate – Latin Palimpsests (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

The post-holder will contribute to the decipherment and edition of the so-called "Autun Gaius" palimpsest, the *codex unicus* of a Latin legal commentary from Late Antiquity, whose lower script is currently only partially legible. Drawing on the advanced imaging techniques deployed by the ERC project PALAI (multispectral imaging, synchrotron), they will also take part in the study of other palimpsest manuscripts in the project's corpus.

Activity

- Decipherment and transcription of the lower text of the Autun Gaius palimpsest from processed images; contribution to its critical edition and translation.
- Participation in the study of other palimpsests within the PALAI project.
- Contribution to imaging campaigns.
- Publication of results (articles, conference papers).
- Liaison with holding institutions, in particular the Bibliothèque patrimoniale d'Autun, and with project members.
- Documentation and management of research data (transcriptions, metadata, images) in line with the project's data management plan.

Your Profil

Skills

Required
Excellent command of Latin; good knowledge of Ancient Greek.
Training in Latin palaeography (Late Antique and early medieval scripts).

Desirable
Experience in deciphering palimpsest manuscripts.
Good knowledge of Roman law, including its Greek-language sources.

Your Work Environment

The Centre de recherches sur la pensée antique, better known as the Centre Léon Robin, is a joint research unit (UMR 8061) of Sorbonne Université and the CNRS. Its members are mainly CNRS researchers and Sorbonne Université faculty. The Centre, currently directed by Marwan Rashed (Sorbonne Université) with Alexandra Michalewski (CNRS) as deputy director, promotes and coordinates research on ancient thought and its history. Its members study texts for their philosophical content while paying close attention to philological and historiographical questions and to their political, religious and aesthetic background. The Centre also gives a prominent place to the history of their reception and to the issues raised by their past and present uses.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Victor Gysembergh, Principal Investigator of the ERC Consolidator Grant PALAI. Funded by the European Research Council for 2026–2030, the project develops and applies multispectral and synchrotron imaging methods for the non-invasive reading of palimpsests and damaged manuscripts, at the intersection of classical philology, scientific imaging and artificial intelligence. It brings together a small interdisciplinary team (engineers, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers) and conducts imaging campaigns at major European libraries and heritage institutions. The team's work has already led to several discoveries that received international media coverage, including remains of Hipparchus' star catalogue, of Ptolemy's Treatise on the Meteoroscope, and of the philosophical text known as the "New Apuleius".

Constraints and risks

NA

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

From 2572 to 3817 €

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions