PRR Project

Summary

The Salvaterra de Magos Municipality Chair in Archaeology represents a transformative opportunity to expand and enhance a longstanding collaboration between UAlg, ICArEHB, and the Salvaterra de Magos Municipality, aimed at preserving, investigating, and disseminating the archaeological heritage in central Portugal. Particularly, because it will provide long-term scientific support for archaeological research in the internationally renowned Muge Mesolithic Shellmiddens.This position demands a candidate with a PhD in Archaeology, particularly skilled in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations, and deeply knowledgeable about European Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and early farming communities. The candidate should also have experience as a PI of competitively funded projects, as a supervisor of MA and Doctoral students, and as a coordinator of outreach and citizen-science initiatives.The chairholder will be taking on the responsibility to continue more than 150 years of archaeological work at the Muge shellmiddens, acknowledged for their extensive record of human burials and rich archaeological context, where evidence from the co-existence of local hunter-gatherer groups and food-producing immigrant communities has been recently revealed. The main tasks of the chairholder include leading excavations at these internationally acclaimed sites, as well as undertaking an unprecedented intensive archaeological survey of the region for the identification of new sites. Archaeological survey results will allow the construction of an archaeological sensitivity map, essential for informed planning and preservation in the municipality. This task will also be augmented by the supervision of a Ph.D. student, who will focus on prehistoric settlement dynamics in the Tagus River valley, adding a broader context to the regional archaeological findings.Moreover, the chairholder will be instrumental in creating and maintaining a detailed spatial database, encompassing archaeological and geological data of Salvaterra de Magos. This database will serve as a foundational resource for managing cultural heritage and aiding in urban planning and development.Another pivotal aspect of this Chair is leading the scientific development of the new Muge shellmiddens Museum and Archaeology Laboratory. The chairholder will be responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of both permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as overseeing the operation of the lab. This last task includes, among others, planning, executing, and monitoring various post-excavation research activities, analyzing archaeological data collected from fieldwork, preparing reports, research papers, and presentations to share findings with the academic community, and overseeing proper preservation and conservation of artifacts and samples.The chairholder is also expected to engage in citizen science projects in collaboration with the Municipality and the Earthwatch Foundation (which currently funds a long-term project for the Muge shellmiddens), enhancing public engagement and awareness of the pre-historical record. Additionally, it is expected that the researcher submits proposals to international and national funding agencies to secure ongoing support for scientific endeavors in the region.At UAlg the chairholder activities are expected to scale up and grow one of ICArEHB´s main research themes - Adaptations to Coastal Environments - as well as to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between Archaeology and other strategic areas of UAlg, such as Marine Biology, Tourism, and Communication Sciences.