PhD scholarship – Dark Age Economics: an archaeometallurgical study of silver hoards from Late Iron Age Scandinavia

The National Museum of Denmark announces a call for a PhD scholarship to begin on the 1st of March 2025 on Late Iron Age archaeometallurgy research with a focus on silver hoards from Southern Scandinavia, investigating their metal composition and provenance. The PhD is part of the research project “Dark Age Economics: the rise of silver, monetisation and cashless currencies in Northern Europe and its relevance for today” funded by The Independent Research Fund Denmark.

Areas of work

The purpose of the PhD scholarship is to create new knowledge on the character (composition) and origins (provenance) of silver from hoard deposits in Late Iron Age (400-750 CE) Scandinavia. The aim of the research is to build a comprehensive body of data on Iron Age silver using compositional and isotopic analyses to discover new results on its origins as well as its potential relationship to the emergence of coinage (including sceattas) in Southern Scandinavia.

The task of the PhD fellow will be to sample and analyse silver objects from the hoards at the collections of various Museum collections, including the National Museum of Denmark. They rank as some of Denmark’s most prized National treasures and are of international importance. The work will involve physical sampling, laboratory preparation and for geochemical and isotopic analyses to be conducted using state-of-the-art facilities at the Department of Geosciences, Aarhus University.

The goal of the PhD scholarship is to determine the sources of silver represented in Southern Scandinavia during the Late Iron Age. Through archaeological and archaeometallurgical investigations, the PhD scholarship will integrate data and results from analysing primary material across various hoard deposits.

The PhD scholarship should focus on various selected subjects related to the main research project (“Dark Age Economics…”): the archaeometallurgy of silver (i.e. physical metallurgy, analytical approaches, interpretation of results, wider issues in current research); practical and ethical considerations towards sampling metal artefacts for present and future research agendas; data analysis, data visualisation and data communication; the character and make-up of silver hoard deposits (i.e.hack-silver, bars/ingots, scrap, coinage); theoretical and empirical approaches to currency and monetisation; value and exchange practices in Late Iron Age societies; movement of metals in prehistoric/historic Europe.

Anchoring

The PhD scholarship will be integrated within a strong research cluster focussing on material culture and socio-political developments of Late Iron Age Scandinavia. The PhD scholarship will be hosted at the National Museum of Denmark, embedded within the Department of Prehistory, Middle Ages and Renaissance, where co-supervisors Mads Dengsø Jessen and Helle W. Horsnæs (The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals) are positioned. The PhD scholarship will involve physical sampling of metal objects at the National Museum and primary data production at the Department of Geoscience (Aarhus University) with Rasmus Andreasen (isotope and trace-element laboratory). The PhD scholarship has the opportunity to make a three-month visit to the Department of Earth Sciences (ENS de Lyon) for expert supervision (and analyses) in cutting-edge isotope methods with geochemists Janne Blichert-Toft and Francis Albarède.

The main supervisor Andres Minos Dobat is positioned at Aarhus University (Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies) and the project will be affiliated with and the candidate enrolled at this University. The PhD scholarship is part of the research project (“Dark Age Economics…”) based at Moesgaard Museum (Aarhus, Denmark), led by Thomas Birch, who will also act as a co-supervisor for the PhD. The PhD scholarship is a unique opportunity for developing cross- and interdisciplinary research capacities in archaeology, data science, humanities, and geosciences. It is also a rich opportunity for developing a research network.

See more about the current research at The National Museum’s web: http://natmus.dk/forskning/

Qualifications

Applicants, who hold a Master’s degree or similar within a relevant subject such as archaeology, geoscience, history, anthropology or similar subjects, or who expect to receive a Master’s degree before March 2025 can be awarded a three-year PhD scholarship. Applicants should at the time of submission of the application for the PhD scholarship have submitted their MA thesis, and as a minimum hold a letter of pre-approval.

The applicant should be curious and have the will to integrate within collegial as well as interdisciplinary communities. Experience in museum research, experimental archaeology, and dissemination to the general public is considered to be an advantage.

Salary and terms of employment

The PhD scholarship is a time-limited scientific position. The employment period is three years, and the weekly working time is 37 hours a week. Salary and terms of employment occur pursuant the collective agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

The PhD scholar will be enrolled in the ARTS PhD School at Aarhus University. Besides the research part, the scholarship contains an educational part (6 months), and teaching and dissemination obligations (6 months).

The place of employment is The National Museum, the Department of Prehistory, Middle Ages and Renaissance, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 København K.

Expected starting time is 1st of March 2025, or soon thereafter.

Application

The National Museum works actively for equality among employees and therefore encourages all qualified people, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. The application should contain the following:

• A motivated application (one page) demonstrating why the qualifications of the applicant are suitable for the project.
• A project description, which explains the scientific perspectives, theories, methodological approaches, dissemination, and timeframe (max. five pages not including the reference list)
• List of publications (if any)
• CV containing educational info, work experience, and other relevant information.
• Copies of relevant exams-papers
• Transcript of university exams into English, if not written in English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish
• Confirmation from supervisor Andres Minos Dobat

The application must be sent via the National Museums electronic recruitment system on our website www.natmus.dk/job and must be received by the Museum no later than 15 January 2025.

After the deadline, a pre-qualifying assessment committee will assess the qualifications of the applicants in relation to achieving a PhD scholarship. Hereafter, an employment committee will be formed. Selected applicants should expect job interviews before mid February 2025.

For further information, please contact one of the following:

Senior Researcher, Mads Dengsø Jessen, tel. 0045 41206168, [email protected]

Senior Researcher, Helle W. Horsnæs, tel. 0045 41206142, [email protected]

Head of Research, Michael Andersen, tel. 0045 41206110, [email protected]

Nationalmuseet er Danmarks kulturhistoriske hovedmuseum og et statsmuseum under Kulturministeriet. Nationalmuseet styrker historiebevidsthed og medborgerskab ved at belyse Danmarks og verdens kulturer og deres indbyrdes afhængighed. Ca. 655 medarbejdere er fordelt på 4 afdelinger: Forskning, Samling og Bevaring, Museer og Slotte, Nationalmuseet København samt Drift og Administration. Se mere om Nationalmuseet på www.natmus.dk

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