Horse Power will examine the complex interactions between the eastern steppe and China from the second millennium BCE to the formation of the Xiongnu empire in Mongolia and the Qin state in China after 300 BCE. To examine the connections between the steppe, Mongolia and China’s Central Plains we will combine the latest scientific techniques in genetics and metallurgical analysis with theory concerning politics and power within and between China and its northern neighbours. Three principal empirical elements underpin the project: ancient DNA from horses; the characterization of bronzes to throw light on their movement and recycling; the structure and contents of archaeological sites (mainly graves) in China, Mongolia and the steppe. The doctoral student will examine the technology of chariots and horse gear in China from the Shang to the Qin from a metallurgical and typological perspective. The student should have a background in the relevant archaeology of China and the steppe. They should possess some knowledge of Chinese and have a background in archaeological science and an understanding of the formal qualities of objects.
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[Website University of Oxford]
Interaction between organic matter and mineral surfaces is critical to the preservation of biomolecules associated with artefacts yet this process is poorly understood. This is particularly relevant to more polar compounds such as organic acids and proteins that are notoriously difficult to extract and characterise. For example, proteins are known to persist when adsorbed to archaeological mineral artefacts, but their low concentration and difficulty of removal has meant that they have been largely overlooked. As part of a team, you will work on optimising methods for the combined extraction of a diverse range of biomolecules (DNA, proteins, lipids) from ceramics and evaluate the potential of other mineral artefacts for binding organic molecules. As part of the project, you will carry out a series of experiments testing the capacity of different biomolecules to bind to mineral surfaces and to explore the effects of different adhesives and sealants (e.g. resin and birch tar) on molecular preservation. As well as evaluating conventional approaches, you will explore novel extraction methods for combined DNA-protein-lipid extraction. You will receive training in ancient genomics and protein analysis at UCPH and GC-MS for lipid characterisation in York.
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[Website University of Copenhagen]
We are currently looking for a PhD candidate to join our Australian Anthropocene research team to examine changes in biodiversity in northern Australia through a unique multidisciplinary approach that draws on fossil, ecological and rock art data, as well as Indigenous knowledge. The project will draw upon multi-proxy datasets to explore changes through time, from the Late Pleistocene to the present, in species distributions and artistic depictions, including evidence for species extirpations, extinctions and introductions. It will collect palaeobiological data, but also examine rock art depicting animal species from palaeobiological, archaeological and Indigenous perspectives. The aim is to draw on the rich and unique corpus of northern Australian rock art to inform on issues of ecosystem change, conservation, and ecological restoration. Success in this role requires collaboration with interdisciplinary experts in archaeology and palaeobiology, as well as with Indigenous communities to ensure the ethical and respectful use of cultural heritage and Indigenous knowledge.
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[Website Griffith University]
The establishment of firm causal links between societies and climatic fluctuations requires detailed and accurate archaeological/historical and climatic/environmental datasets. As team member of the recently funded ERC Consolidator Grant SSE1K “Science, society and environmental change in the first millennium CE”, the advertised PhD position will examine both environmental and archaeological data from the eastern Mediterranean region. He/She will gather existing and new paleoclimate reconstructions from the region and evaluate their chronological uncertainties. In addition, he/she will be also given the opportunity to develop new climatic reconstructions from stalagmites in order to obtain the most suitable records for investigating human-climate relationships during the first millennium CE. The PhD-student will focus on both long-term climatic changes and extreme events, such as multi-year droughts. Supported by SSE1K project members, he/she will compare the climate reconstructions with land-use data, archaeological and textual evidence to better understand the impact of climate on past population trends and food production systems at a variety of spatial and temporal scale
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[Website Universität Basel]
Southern Cross University, in collaboration with Agilent technologies, is offering a fully funded PhD scholarship to work in the field of archaeo-geochemistry, in particular improving our understanding of hominid exposomes using LA-ICPMS/LA-MC-ICPMS on fossil remains. The PhD will contain both robust methodological and palaeoanthropological components. Several projects are available and shortlisted candidates will be offered specific projects, depending on skills and interests. We welcome candidate with particular human evolution interest to develop their own PhD proposal.
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[Website Southern Cross University]