PhD Position in Ancient History: The People Behind the Villa: Life, Labour, and Death in Roman Italy

The doctoral project centers on the reconstruction of the lived experiences of rural populations associated with Roman villa landscapes. Particular emphasis will be placed on questions of daily life, health and disease, mortality patterns, kinship structures, migration and mobility, ancestry, childhood, labor, and social inequality. The doctoral researcher will engage critically with broader debates concerning rural populations, family, slavery, dependency, labor organization, and demographic behavior in the Roman world. The position includes participation in fieldwork, summer schools, project workshops, and international conferences. The candidate will contribute to the project's publication strategy and will prepare a doctoral dissertation.

The Department of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel invites applications for a fully funded PhD position, tenable from October 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 project forms part of a broader investigation of Roman villas as socio-ecological systems linking environment, production, nutrition, health, and demographic behavior.

• Applicants should hold a Master's degree in Ancient History or a closely related field.

• A strong interest in Roman social and economic history and in interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities and natural sciences is essential.

• Very good command of English is required.