The Ghent Centre for Late Antiquity (GCLA) is hiring a PhD student to work on benefactors in Late Antiquity.

Euergetism, or gift-giving by the wealthy to their city in exchange for public honours, experienced an unprecedented proliferation in the early Roman empire. However, with the rise of Christianity, it is thought that euergetism in its classic, civic sense declined. With Christian donors caring about saving their soul rather than improving their reputation among their fellow-citizens, P. Veyne stated, euergetism lost its rationale. According to P. Brown, a shift in the social imagination occurred, in which a Greco-Roman ‘civic model of society’, exemplified by elites benefitting their fellow-citizens, was replaced by a Judeo-Christian ideal of the rich caring for the poor. Yet, it has been argued (cf. C. Lepelley, R. Haensch, Y. Duval and L. Pietri, Ch. J. Goddard, D. F. Caner) that this scenario seems at odds with evidence for e.g. the continuing popularity of investment by local elites, pagan and Christian, in games and public buildings, including churches, the feverish imperial elite and emperor-sponsored world of the circus, and persistent concerns expressed by authors such as Augustine of Hippo or John Chrysostom about Christian engagement with euergetic culture. A rival model of ‘Christian euergetism’ was proposed (J.-P. Caillet), emphasizing continuities with the civic munificence of the high empire. We invite applications that engage with this debate, focussing, for instance, on categories of gifts, their context (civic, ecclesiastical, private, rural?), regional differences, the social profiles of donors/recipients in the context of the transformation of civic elites, discourses of benefaction and/or charity, or on the recognition (honours, high status, personal salvation…) donors expected/received in return for their gifts.

Your job

-You complete a doctoral dissertation on benefactors in Late Antiquity within four years

-You participate in, and are willing to co-organize, team meetings, workshops and conferences organised by the GCLA

-You contribute to the functioning of your team and department (e.g. limited amount of teaching and/or of administrative tasks, …)

Your profile

You hold a good master’s degree in a relevant field, including (but not limited to) Ancient History or Classics (or will be holding one by the starting date of your appointment)

You have a very good knowledge of the ancient language(s) that are relevant for your research project. Knowledge of more than one ancient languages or cultures is an advantage.

Whilst capable of doing independent work, you can also work well in a team.

You have good organizational skills.

Knowledge of digital humanities, or a willingness to acquire it, is essential if your research proposal entails a digital humanities component; in all other cases, it is an advantage.

An interest in different disciplinary approaches (historical, literary, linguistic, …) to Late Antiquity is an advantage.

What we offer

We offer a full-time position as doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which, after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months. Your contract will ideally start on 1/1/2025.

The fellowship amount is around 2500 euro net per month. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales

All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

Our profile

The Ghent Centre for Late Antiquity (GCLA) is an interdisciplinary research centre that brings together the rich and variegated expertise on Late Antiquity present at Ghent University. Some fifty researchers from the departments of archaeology, history, linguistics and literature join forces within the GCLA, and the GCLA also collaborates with other UGent colleagues, in this case from the Department of History. Our research, which is supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the UGent Special Research Fund (BOF), is characterized by close working with sources, material culture and languages, and covers Late Antiquity from North-Western Europe to Egypt and the Caucasus.

How to apply

To apply, please e-mail the following documents to [email protected] by 20 November 2024:

-CV, including list of publications

-Copy of your diploma (if already in your possession)

-Motivation letter

-One-page research proposal setting out what you would like to research within the broad topic of benefactors in Late Antiquity.

More information

For more information about the topic of the PhD, please contact Arjan Zuiderhoek ([email protected]). For more information about the position or the application process, please contact Lieve Van Hoof ([email protected]), Director of the GCLA.