Missions

Under the supervision of the DADAN project coordinator, the archaeo-anthropologist in charge of the area will be responsible for the strategy for excavation, recording, study (field and laboratory) and publication of the burial sites at the archaeological site of Dadan (Saudi Arabia), the main city of the Iron Age in north-western Arabia.

Activités

Technical and scientific activities:
- Assist the project director in developing and implementing the excavation strategy and supervise all excavation operations in a funerary context;
- Define the excavation and recording methodology appropriate for complex funerary contexts, coordinate the logistics of excavations in difficult or isolated terrain;
- Ensure the preventive conservation (recording, diagnosis of the state of preservation, cleaning, packaging) and long-term preservation of osteological and archaeological artefacts in coordination with conservators;
- Supervise the study of human remains: define the protocol for macroscopic analysis of human remains (state of conservation, biological profile, health status, paleopathologies, etc.), supervise/coordinate additional analyses (medical imaging, chemical, isotopic and DNA analyses, etc.) in collaboration with partner laboratories;
- Contribute to the project's scientific publications (drafting or participating in the drafting of reports and articles, participating in conferences and seminars).

Training activities:
- Supervise a team of specialist archaeologists (1 full-time and 1 part-time position), occasionally reinforced by non-specialist archaeologists and technicians; provide methodological training for French and Saudi students and young researchers.

Compétences

- PhD in archaeology, anthropology or equivalent;
- At least 5 years' experience in archaeology as a site manager;
- Specialist in archaeothanatology and methods of analysing burials and human remains;
- Good knowledge of the historical and archaeological context of pre-Islamic north-western Arabia (from the Bronze Age to late antiquity);
- Experience of excavation in the Near East, if possible in the Arabian Peninsula;
- Ability to work in complex logistical environments;
- Very good knowledge of computer tools currently used in archaeology: computer-aided design (Adobe Illustrator), geographic information systems (Qgis or ArcGis), photogrammetry (Agisoft Metashape) and databases (particularly Filemaker Pro);
- Good level of English (minimum B2);
- Ability to lead a team in the field and train technicians and/or students in a foreign linguistic and cultural context;
- Ability to synthesise information, writing skills and facility in scientific and general public communication.

Contexte de travail

The DADAN project is an archaeological excavation and exploration project in the ancient city of Dadan, in the al-Ula oasis, which was the capital of the first great North Arabian kingdom in the Iron Age (1200–300 BCE) and a major hub on the 'incense route' linking southern Arabia to the Mediterranean basin and Mesopotamia (https://www.orient-mediterranee.com/program/dadan-arabie-saoudite/). The project is led by CNRS UMR 8167 (coordinator: Jérôme Rohmer) and funded by the French Agency for the Development of AlUla (https://www.afalula.com/). The minimum duration of the project is set at 27 months, from November 2025 to March 2028. The agent will be welcomed into the “Mondes sémitiques” team of UMR 8167, on the CNRS campus in Villejuif.

Contraintes et risques

Full-time 100%, renewable if necessary, possibility of working remotely.