After the Crisis: Re-anchoring Innovation and New Beginnings in Antiquity

‘After the Crisis: (Re) Anchoring Innovation and New Beginnings in Antiquity’ Applications are invited for two postdoc positions (1 in Ancient History and 1 in Latin/Greek) in a joint research project of the chair groups of Greek, Latin and Ancient History at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) ‘After the Crisis: (Re) Anchoring Innovation and New Beginnings in Antiquity’. Background The first century BCE, was arguably the most momentous period of crisis in the history of the ancient world. In Italy and the West a struggle for power in the Republic led to political crises, periods of terror, and most of all to horrible civil wars. At the same time the Greek world was plagued by internal warfare and doomed attempts to resist Roman power. Moreover, the Roman civil wars were also largely fought out in the Greek provinces. This period of crisis only came to an end with the establishment of the Principate, by Octavian-Augustus. The central question of our project is how, after a century marked by crisis and (civil) war, new beginnings were made and (re-) anchored in in the Greek provinces and in Rome itself. This project is part of a larger project of the National Research School in Classical Studies OIKOS ‘Anchoring Innovation’: see http://www.ru.nl/oikos/anchoring-innovation. It is also embedded locally in the research group ‘Sustainable Societies’ of the Centre for Historical Studies (see http://www.rug.nl/research/icog/research/research-centres/research-centre-for-historical-studies/?lang=en), as well as the interfaculty research group CRASIS, devoted to interdisciplinary study of the ancient world (see http://www.rug.nl/research/centre-for-religious-studies/crasis). Project I Postdoc Ancient History The sub-project in Ancient History is entitled (Re-)Anchoring Innovation: Politics and Culture in Roman Athens (supervisors: prof. dr. O.M. van Nijf, dr. J.W. Drijvers). Roman Athens offers itself as an ideal laboratory to explore the concept of (re)anchoring innovation. After the crisis and wars of the first century BCE Athens had to find a new role as a provincial city in the Roman empire. The city offers us a unique long-term history, as well as a privileged window on the complex relationships that Roman authorities maintained with the Greek cities - and with Greek political traditions. Athens paired strong local political and cultural traditions with high levels of interference by Roman magistrates and emperors. Moreover, its political class became well integrated into the imperial aristocracy, while imperial authorities as well as local élites shared an intellectual engagement with Athens’ classical past. Roman authorities and local élites jointly re-invented Athens as a community that conformed both to Greek traditions and to Roman expectations. The postdoc will investigate this process of re-invention from the perspective of a political culture that was marked by persistent renewal in a traditional idiom. The project will be directed along three main axes which will apply the concept of (re)anchoring innovation to: (i) the political culture, and more specifically the development of the political language (ii) civic identity and memory culture, especially the engagement with Athens’ classical past. (iii) the Greek festival traditions, which were rekindled and flourished under Roman rule with a new political message. Job description The postdoc is expected to prepare a substantial publication output (e.g. a monograph or 4 articles in a peer reviewed journal or edited volume), as well as to co-organise an international conference and co-edit the volume of the proceedings (with the PI's and/or the postdoc in Greek and Latin), and to engage actively with the local research environment. The position will include 0,1 fte of teaching in the field of ancient history. Qualifications - PhD in a relevant field - strong academic record as evinced by curriculum vitae and list of publications - good knowledge of Ancient Greek - experience with epigraphic sources - excellent proficiency in written and spoken English - organisational skills and ability to work in a team - teaching experience is desirable Conditions of employment The University of Groningen offers a starting salary depending on qualifications and work experience between € 2,427 and € 4,462 gross per month (salary scale 10 or 11 Dutch Universities), based on a full-time position. The appointment is for 3 years (1,0 fte) or three years and 7 months (0,8 fte). The position is meant to start on January 1, 2015. How to apply Applications, including a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and the contact information of two academic referees, must be submitted online by means of the application form to be found at http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/all-job-vacancies. The deadline is October 31, 2014; interviews will be held as soon as possible thereafter. Information For further information contact: Prof. Dr. O.M. van Nijf: [email protected], ++ (0)50-3636968. Project II Postdoc literature The sub-project in Greek and Latin literature is entitled After the Civil Wars: Re-Anchoring and Innovation in Greek and Latin Literature (supervisors: Prof. Ruurd Nauta and Prof. Annette Harder). The postdoc will study a corpus of texts in various genres from Early Imperial literature that deal with the crisis and trauma of the civil wars of the first century BCE and with the contested manner in which this crisis was tenuously overcome by the establishment of the Principate. These genres include Latin epic, Latin tragedy and both Latin and Greek historiography. The problem of re-anchoring emerges in these texts at two different levels: - In explaining the unprecedented phenomenon of civil war, the authors have to fall back on established modes of thinking and writing, although these are or have become inadequate. These models include the analysis of stasis by Thucydides, the traditional Roman moralistic discourse of virtues and vices, and the tragic depiction of discord within the family. - In projecting a new future after civil war it was difficult to anchor this in the present or near past, as these had shown the collapse of all existing structures and values. So there was a need for innovation, but also for new anchors, which had to be sought in a more distant past, but needed to be adapted to the new situation. An example is the re-definition of the concept of clementia. Depending on the interests and competences of the postdoc, a selection from these texts and topics may have to be made, but the two levels of re-anchoring and the comparison of various genres will in any case be covered. Job description The postdoc is expected to prepare a substantial publication output (e.g. a monograph or 4 articles in a peer reviewed journal or edited volume), as well as to co-organise an international conference and co-edit the volume of the proceedings (with the PI's and/or the postdoc in Ancient History), and to engage actively with the local research environment. The position will include 0,1 fte of teaching in the programme of the Classics Department. Qualifications - PhD in Greek or Latin literature - strong academic record as evinced by curriculum vitae and list of publications - excellent proficiency in reading Greek and Latin - excellent proficiency in written and spoken English - organisational skills and ability to work in a team - teaching experience is desirable Conditions of employment The University of Groningen offers a starting salary depending on qualifications and work experience between € 2,427 and € 4,462 gross per month (salary scale 10 or 11 Dutch Universities), based on a full-time position. The appointment is for 3 years (1,0 fte) or three years and 7 months (0,8 fte). The position is meant to start on January 1, 2015. How to apply Applications, including a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and the contact information of two academic referees, must be submitted online by means of the application form to be found at http://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/job-opportunities/all-job-vacancies. The deadline is October 31, 2014; interviews will be held as soon as possible thereafter. Information For further information contact: Prof. Ruurd Nauta, [email protected], tel. +31 50 3635835 o