(M/F) Postdoctoral Researcher in Rock Art Archaeology

Job Description

Missions

You will be appointed to a research fellow position for a period of 18 months as part of the ANR ROCKMAPS project within the Trajectoires laboratory (UMR 8215).
The research fellow's role will be to investigate the cartographic representations, carved in stone, of Bedolina (Capo di Ponte, Lombardy, Italy).
Your main research task will focus on the geostatistical analysis of the carved symbols on the various panels at Bedolina (R1, R4, R7 and R9) and their relationship with the man-made environment (graves, settlements, engraved sites, specialised sites…) and the natural environment (springs, river networks, ridgelines, prominent landscape features, mines...). This research will be based on the set up of a georeferenced database of archaeological settlements (Neolithic–Iron Age) and notable natural sites in the Val Camonica, covering an area of approximately 1,500 km². This database will be compiled by analysing aerial and satellite imagery using remote sensing techniques, alongside a review of archaeological publications and grey literature. You will statistically test the degree of correspondence between the carved panels at Bedolina (engravings, microtopography), human settlements and the environment (mountains, valleys) at various scales (from hamlet to valley), by interpolating rock surfaces with topography and by shape and network analyses. You will summarise the results of this research in scientific publications.
You will contribute to the typological and chronological study of the engravings on the Bedolina panels (R1, R4, R7 and R9), and to the analysis of their surface conditions using 3D data (photogrammetry, stereoscopic scanning) and RTI.
You will take part in direction of archaeological test pits at the base of two of the carved panels in order to clarify their chronology and geomorphological history.
You will report regularly on the progress of your work whilst working independently. You will be able to draw on the support of members of the ANR ROCKMAPS project (UMR 8215 Trajectoires, UMR 6554 LETG, UMR 6118 Géosciences Rennes, EA 4451 CRBC, MAN, Inrap, Parco archeologico di Seradina-Bedolina). You will be required to take part in fieldwork and data acquisition in Val Camonica (Italy), workshops in Paris and Brest (France), the project's annual meetings, and to work as part of a team with researchers from other disciplines (archaeology, geomorphology, geography, geology).

Activity

- use 3D models and surveys of the carved panels at Bedolina
- catalogue and georeference the natural and man-made environment in Val Camonica from the Neolithic to the Iron Age
- carry out geostatistical analyses (topographic interpolation, shape and network analyses)
- lead archaeological test pits carried out at Bedolina and the project report
- write scientific articles on the research carried out in collaboration with project members

Your Profil

Skills

- Qualifications required: PhD in Archaeology
- Experience in field archaeology
- Extensive knowledge of the Recent Prehistory and Protohistory of the Italian Alps
- Design of geographical databases (PostgreSQL/PostGIS)
- Proficiency in at least one GIS software package (QGIS/ArcGIS)
- Experience in geostatistical analysis
- Scientific writing skills
- Key skills: ability to work in a team, organise one's own time independently, and demonstrate initiative and the ability to make proposals
- Personal qualities: availability and responsiveness, organisation and attention to detail
- Languages: English (B2/C2 level), Italian (B2/C2 level), French (A1/C2 level)

Your Work Environment

UMR 8215 Trajectoires (CNRS/University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Inrap), based in Paris, is an archaeological research laboratory. The laboratory's primary research focus is on the historical trajectories of societies from the onset of their sedentarisation to the emergence of the first States (7th–1st millennia BCE).
The ROCKMAPS project aims to recognise and analyse the cartographic content of an undervalued cultural heritage, the pre- and protohistoric map-like carvings found across western Europe. Beyond few well-accepted and world famous representations, not many are considered as real maps and their cartographic content is rarely underpinned, either by caution or evolutionist scepticism. The recent re-discovery and 3D recording of a map-like figuration, the Saint-Bélec Slab, stemming from an early Bronze Age barrow in Brittany, allowed for the first time to demonstrate statistically the spatial extent and part of the cartographic content of a prehistoric map. The ROCKMAPS project aims to investigate in-depth the Saint-Bélec Slab and the map-like carvings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bedolina (Italy) in order to demonstrate their cartographic content through an interdisciplinary approach combining the development of 3D recording and modelling methodology, statistic and spatial analyses, use-wear analysis, field research, Bayesian modelling of 14C and OSL dating, geology, geomorphology and geoarchaeology.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

€3,132 to €4,808 gross per month, depending on experience.

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

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