Postdoctoral Position in Environmental / Landscape Archaeology (Sabina Tiberina, Central Italy)
70% (1 year with possibility of extension)
The Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel invites applications for a postdoctoral position in Environmental / Landscape Archaeology, tenable from September 2026 (negotiable), within the SNSF-funded project “The Roman Villa as Ecosystem: Climate, Production, and Society in the Sabina Tiberina” (PI: Prof. Dr. Sabine Huebner).
The position is specifically directed at candidates with expertise in the environmental archaeology of central Italy, and ideally with prior field or research experience in the Sabina Tiberina or adjacent regions.
The project
The project situates Roman villa sites within their broader environmental and landscape context between ca. 300 BCE and 600 CE. It investigates how changing land-use regimes, subsistence strategies, and rural production systems responded to climatic variability and long-term environmental change. The successful candidate will play a central role in linking site-based evidence from villa contexts to regional patterns of land use, vegetation, and settlement.
Your position
The core responsibilities center on the development and application of a landscape-archaeological framework that situates the project's villa sites within regional settlement and land-use dynamics in the Sabina Tiberina (300 BCE–600 CE). This includes close engagement with legacy survey datasets, such as the Tiber Valley Project and comparable regional studies, and the integration of archaeological evidence with published environmental and palaeoclimate data. Particular emphasis lies on the diachronic reconstruction of land use, vegetation, and subsistence regimes (e.g. mixed farming, olive cultivation, viticulture), as well as on assessing the impact of climatic variability on agricultural production and rural settlement stability. The postholder will be expected to contribute actively to the project's publication strategy, including the preparation of articles in international peer-reviewed journals, and in summer schools and outreach activities. Participation in field campaigns is required, and, depending on experience, the candidate may take on a coordinating role in their archaeological implementation.
Your profile
Applicants should hold a PhD in Environmental Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Geography, or a closely related field. Demonstrated experience in Mediterranean landscape archaeology is expected, and familiarity with central Italian survey traditions is highly desirable. Candidates should be able to operate confidently across scales, from micro-contextual environmental data to regional landscape reconstruction, and to integrate environmental proxies into historical interpretation.A strong research interest in ancient rural economies, subsistence agriculture, and human–environment interactions is essential. Excellent command of English is required.
We offer you
A stimulating research environment at the Department of Ancient Civilizations, housing one of the world's leading research libraries in Classical Studies and many international collaborations. The Institute of Ancient History hosts the 'Basel Climate Science & Ancient History Lab' (https://ancientclimate.philhist.unibas.ch/en/lab/) directed by Prof. Dr. Sabine R. Huebner and accommodates multiple ongoing large-scale research projects. The position offers integration into a highly collaborative research environment and provides the opportunity to develop an independent research profile at the intersection of environmental archaeology and ancient history, with a clear focus on land-use dynamics and climate–society interactions in central Italy. Employment conditions follow the regulations of the University of Basel.Applications should include a motivation letter, CV (including publications), and copies of academic degrees, to be submitted via the University of Basel online portal by 1 June 2026. Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof. Dr. Sabine Huebner, Department of Ancient Civilizations, University of Basel, Petersgraben 51, CH-4051 Basel (sabine.huebner@unibas.ch).
