The position is funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin as part of the Berlin University Alliance/Oxford University Einstein Visiting Fellowships scheme. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will participate in the project “The Seven Sages of Rome Revisited: Striving for an Alternative Literary History”. The selected postholder will work closely with the PIs of the project, Professor Dr Jutta Eming, Freie Universität Berlin and Dr Ida Toth, University of Oxford (Einstein BUA/Oxford Visiting Fellow 2024-27).

The research project “The Seven Sages of Rome Revisited: Striving for an Alternative Literary History” focuses on one of the most popular and least studied works of pre-modern world literature. Transmitted in over thirty languages and attested through hundreds of manuscripts and early printed editions, this tradition provides ample scope for exploring the extant material from textual, intercultural, and intersectional literary perspectives. The Einstein BUA/Oxford research project proposes to undertake an interdisciplinary, collaborative and comparative philological, literary, and cultural analysis in Byzantine/Medieval Latin and Medieval German and Early Modern Studies. Its goal is to reassess and redefine the traditional approach to the SSR and to medieval literature in general.

Job description:
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be tasked with reassessing the textual transmission of the medieval and early modern Greek Book of Syntipas the Philosopher. The Book of Syntipas survives in several medieval and early modern versions, and these are attested through some 24 manuscripts dating to the time between the 14th and the 18th centuries. The postholders will be expected to: 1) re-examine all extant manuscript witnesses; 2) re-evaluate (and, where necessary, update) the modern editions; 3) explore evidence for the promulgation and popularity of the Greek Book of Syntipas in the Middle Ages and early modern times.
The main duty of the Postdoctoral Research Associate will be to conduct research on their project. The postholder will work in close partnership with Dr Ida Toth as well as collaborating with Professor Dr Jutta Eming and other members of the research group. The postholder will join the project PIs in planning and organising scholarly events (lectures, seminars, workshops, outreach and training programmes). They will prepare their own work for publication and will contribute to collective publication projects. Moreover, the postholder will be expected to create a repertory of Greek Syntipas-material and to join the ongoing discussions about the feasibility of digital, synoptic, multi-text editions of the Seven Sages of Rome.
This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career researcher with strong interests in pre-modern Greek textual culture, and especially in the transmission of wisdom literature within the same period. The successful candidate will join a team of textual and literary scholars, who play an active role in the current efforts to reassess traditional literary canons and to create an alternative, and much more nuanced, understanding of pre-modern global literary history.

Requirements:
• A Doctoral degree in Classical, Byzantine or Early Modern Greek Philology/Studies

Desirable:
• Training in Greek Palaeography
• Knowledge of Greek manuscript culture
• Experience in editing Greek texts
• Excellent command of the spoken and written English language

• Demonstrable interest in the project's focus area (Wisdom – Power – Gender)
• Ability to work independently
• Commitment to team-building and teamwork
• Willingness to engage in interdisciplinary exchange

How to apply:
Your application materials should state the identifier Postdoc_JE_BUA_SSoR_3_24. They should be combined in a single PDF document and sent electronically to Ms Sylwia Bräuer (s.braeuer@fu-berlin.de).
Two letters of recommendation from university-level teachers or project line managers should be submitted separately. They should be addressed and emailed to the project PIs Jutta Eming (j.eming@fu-berlin.de) and Ida Toth (ida.toth@history.ox.ac.uk).

Application materials:
• An application letter (one page)
• Statement of purpose explaining suitability for the position
• A curriculum vitae with a list of relevant publications
• Official transcripts of university degrees and diplomas
• A sample of published work (max. 25 pages)