The Seminar of Ur- und Frühgeschichte at the University of Göttingen, Germany, invites applications of an

archaeologist (m/f/d)

for one 2-year scientific position with regular weekly working hours (currently 39.8 hours/week), remunerated at 100% TV-L E13. The intended start date is 1 April 2026 (flexible by agreement). The position is suitable for part-time work.

The successful candidate will be part of the DFG-funded joint research project “Metal Trade, Empires and War: New Data and Methods in Ancient Economic History”, headed jointly by Prof. Dr. Markus Ludwig, TU Braunschweig, and Prof. Dr. Lorenz Rahmstorf at the Seminar of Ur- und Frühgeschichte at the University of Göttingen. This specific call is for a position at the University of Göttingen.

The project
In this research project, our primary objective is to gain insight into the impact of large-scale, long-distance metal trade during the Bronze Age in Western Eurasia. We aim to understand how this trade influenced three key aspects: (i) the development of states and organized warfare, (ii) the expansion of territorial states and empires, and (iii) the emergence of weighing technologies and international weight systems. Methodologically, we contribute to the literature by developing a systematic procedure for extracting quantitative, structured data from qualitative sources using also Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods.

Your qualification
You holds a Master’s degree with excellent grades and a PhD degree in (Prehistoric/Bronze Age/Near Eastern) Archaeology
You have familiarity with Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age/Western Asian archaeology
You have an interest in long-run economic development and are motivated to work with archaeological and historical data of the Bronze Age
You have a background in quantitative and spatial methods, applied to archaeological data sets
Programming skills and an interest in machine learning or text-as-data approaches are an advantage, but not a formal requirement
You demonstrate excellent command of English, are willing to travel for research collaboration (in particular to Braunschweig), and enjoy working in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team.
Soft Skills
Responsible and self-motivated nature
Curiosity and critical thinking
The ability to learn quickly and independently
Strong teamwork abilities

Your responsibilities
Close cooperation with the project part in Braunschweig (PhD student and PI Markus Ludwig)
Lead a part of the project of the under the supervision of the PI in Göttingen (Prof. Dr. Lorenz Rahmstorf)
Collect and organize archaeological data sets and apply macroarchaeological methods
Conduct data management, and quantitative empirical analysis, including archaeological, spatial, or text-based data.
Participation as a co-author in the publication of scientific articles detailing methodology and results of the project in peer-reviewed journals
Present and communicate the project in different venues (workshops, conferences etc.)

The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference.

The successful candidate is expected to begin on April 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The application must be written in English or German. Please send a detailed CV, list of publications, pdfs of one or two scientific publications, short cover letter detailing your motivation, documentation of qualifications (Master diploma, other certificates) and the contact information within 16.02.2026 to lorenz.rahmstorf@uni-goettingen.de

Please note:
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Hinweisblatt zur Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) https://www.uni-goettingen.de/hinweisdsgvo