James H. Barrett
Visiting Professor in Archaeology, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology & University of Cambridge
Historical Ecology
Short description
We seek applicants for a 2-year Marie Skłowdowska-Curie Individual Fellowship position in Historical Ecology, broadly defined. The successful Fellowship applicant would develop a project at the interface of archaeology and natural history that draws, at least in part, on the exceptional archaeological collections of the NTNU University Museum and/or on study of Trondheim and its extensive hinterlands, including forests, mountains, fjord and sea. Synergies with one or more of the Museum’s laboratories is highly desirable. Pertinent examples include the National Laboratory for Age Determination (AMS dating, dendrochronology and dendroclimatology), the conservation laboratory and the ancient/environmental DNA laboratory. Cooperation with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), which has a very active group in Trondheim, is encouraged. Opportunities would also exist for collaborative research with the broadly-based bioarchaeological and materials laboratories of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge. The researcher would join the collegial and dynamic Department of Archaeology and Cultural History in the NTNU University Museum, with strengths including the study of ancient technology, human relationships with the sea, and the Iron-Age to Historical archaeology of the Trondheim region in its European context. He or she would have the freedom to guide the project in the direction most suited to their intellectual growth and career plan, within a structured framework providing research funding and guidance, the latter from an experienced practitioner of interdisciplinary historical ecology.
Long Description
The Department of Archaeology and Cultural History in the NTNU University Museum is seeking to further enhance the international dimension of research on its world-class archaeological collections. From excavations in Trondheim city come a diversity of organic materials exhibiting exceptional preservation, and with close dating thanks to dendrochronology. We seek applicants wishing to engage with this rich material, answering questions regarding human-environment interactions, with exciting and ambitious goals that bridge the humanities and sciences. Fellowship proposals are particularly welcome from candidates who wish to study material from central Norway in a comparative perspective, broadening the impact of the region’s exceptional archaeological record gleaned from decades of meticulous fieldwork. Relevant materials might include non-human bone/tooth/antler, less traditional ecofacts such as fibres, or unanticipated options based on emerging analytical methods. Proposals for question-oriented artefact studies that cross material categories are welcome, especially if coupled with innovative methodological approaches. The chronological focus of the project is anticipated to be within the broad window of c.500 CE to the early 20th century.
Synergies with one or more of the Museum’s laboratories is highly desirable. Pertinent examples include the National Laboratory for Age Determination (AMS dating, dendrochronology and dendroclimatology), the conservation laboratory and the ancient/environmental DNA laboratory. Cooperation with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), which has a very active group in Trondheim, is encouraged. Opportunities would also exist for collaborative research with the broadly-based bioarchaeological and materials laboratories of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge.
The Marie Skłowdowska-Curie Fellow would join the collegial and dynamic Department of Archaeology and Cultural History in the NTNU University Museum, with strengths including the study of ancient technology, human relationships with the sea, and the Iron-Age to Historical archaeology of the Trondheim region in its European context. He or she would have the freedom to guide the project in the direction most suited to their intellectual growth and career plan, within a structured framework providing research funding and guidance, the latter from an experienced practitioner of interdisciplinary historical ecology.
The project would be supervised by James H. Barrett, a medieval, historical and environmental archaeologist who has worked at the boundary of humanities- and science-based archaeology for over twenty years. His research interests focus on the environmental, economic and social dimensions of natural resource procurement (especially fishing and hunting) and trade. He has led projects grounded in field archaeology, zooarchaeology, stable isotope analysis and artefact studies, and been a major contributor to interdisciplinary research ranging from glacial archaeology to ancient DNA. Barrett’s former students and post-docs have gone on to employment as university lecturers, full-time researchers and heritage professionals.