PRR Project

Summary

The ICArEHB Assistant Researcher Chair in Emergence and Evolution of Food-Producing Societies is a key permanent position dedicated to developing long-term research on the emergence of agriculture and herding as primary dietary sources for humans, and on the intricate set of sociocultural processes associated with it.ICArEHB is broadly interested in these topics, since the transition from hunting-gathering-fishing to agriculture as the main form of obtaining dietary calories was one of the key moments in Human Evolution. This process occurred at different times in distinct parts of the world, and in most cases led to an increase in social complexity, an increase in different forms of inequality, and the appearance of state societies. Current research at ICArEHB on this topic focuses on the traces of human lives and social relationships left behind in the archaeological, bio-anthropological and palaeobotanical records, while at the same time evaluating the relationship between these records of daily human activities and ecological and climatic changes over time. Over the last few years, ICArEHB’s contribution to the topic has been significant including the publication of groundbreaking papers on, among others, the domestication of different animal and plant species, the emergence of dairying, and the evolution of lactase persistence, complex husbandry practices, or the emergence and cultural relevance of Neolithic and Chalcolithic ditched enclosures. Geographically, this research spans from Eastern Africa to the Middle East, to the Iberian Peninsula. In Iberia, it is particularly relevant the ongoing relationship between ICArEHB and the largest national Cultural Resource Management (CRM) company, ERA Arqueologia, responsible for the archaeological work in some of the main Late Prehistory sites in Portugal, such as the world-renowned Perdigões Complex of ditched enclosures.This Chair will consolidate and expand on some of the mentioned topics by hiring a permanent Assistant Researcher to develop groundbreaking research on the socio-historical and anthropological dynamics of early food-producing societies across the Old World. This can include research into the origins and expansion of animal and plant domestication, development of architecture and landscape building, funerary practices, and studies on interaction and human mobility.The ideal candidate for this position will possess a PhD in Archaeology, with expertise in Late Prehistory, and a set of skills that can articulate data from diverse specialties such as Zooarchaeology, Paleobotany, and Biomolecular analysis. The candidate should have a strong track record of international peer-review publications; teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels; training and supervision of MA and PhD students; previous successful applications to national or international funding agencies as principal investigator; experience in laboratory management; and experience in outreach and dissemination activities.Responsibilities of the chairholder will include:applying for and securing competitive funding from national and international programs;conducting independent groundbreaking field and/or laboratory basic research, and developing or enhancing cutting-edge methodologies and theoretical perspectives for studying specific aspects within the topic;extend and broaden ICArEHB´s research theme “Emergence and Evolution of Food-Producing Societies” through promoting collaborations between ongoing and new projects, training of students, and participation in international consortia;scale up cooperation with Portuguese CRM companies for the study of Westernmost Iberia Late Prehistoric contexts, allowing to strengthen knowledge transfer between academia and private archaeology companies;finally, in the broader context of UAlg, the chairholder activities are expected to elevate training activities to various degree levels, particularly through teaching (maximum of 4 hours per semester) course units related to Late Prehistory archaeology.