Postdoctoral Fellowship in Classical Archaeology | Denmark

About Position/Job

Aarhus University is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher in Classical Archaeology for the project “Locally Crafted Empires: Intersecting identities under Imperial rule in Western Asia as expressed in local portrait cultures (LoCiS)” at the School of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts. This two-year, full-time fellowship (2027–2028) is led by Professor Rubina Raja and explores local portrait cultures in Western Asia between 100 BCE and 500 CE. The project combines archaeology, ancient history, and visual culture studies using iconographic, contextual, and cross-regional methodologies to understand identity under imperial rule. The postdoc will contribute to database development, catalogues, publications, conferences, and field-related research. This role offers a rare opportunity to work on ancient visual culture, long durée historical perspectives, and interdisciplinary humanities research in an internationally recognised research environment in Aarhus, Denmark.

Position/Job Details

Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Institution: Aarhus University
Department: School of Culture and Society – Classical Studies
Research Field: Classical Archaeology / Ancient Visual Culture / West Asian Archaeology
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Number of Posts: 1
Job Type: Full-time, Fixed-term Postdoctoral Fellowship
Start Date (Anticipated): January 2027
Working Hours: 37 hours per week
Salary Range: As per Danish collective academic agreements
Required Degree/Diploma: PhD

Research Area

Classical Archaeology
Ancient visual culture and iconography
Portrait cultures of Western Asia
Eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern archaeology
Imperial identities in antiquity
Cross-regional archaeological analysis

Eligibility & Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

PhD in Classical Archaeology or equivalent
Expertise in ancient visual culture
Strong knowledge of Western Asia (Egypt to Anatolia, Tigris to Mediterranean)
Ability to work critically with archaeological and historical sources
Academic publications relevant to the project
Professional academic English

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge of French, German, and Italian
Experience in iconographic analysis and portrait studies
Strong organisational and collaborative skills
Ability to meet deadlines and manage research outputs

Key Responsibilities

Conduct research on locally produced portraits in Western Asia (100 BCE – 500 CE)
Contribute to the LoCiS project database and catalogues
Produce a monograph and peer-reviewed publications
Organise conferences, workshops, and guest lectures
Undertake research, travel,l and international collaboration
Work closely with Professor Rubina Raja and project team members