Teaser Text

This PhD position at Leiden University forms part of the ERC-funded GeoPo project, which investigates the history of Arabia at the dawn of Islam (c. 500–650 CE) through an interdisciplinary analysis of poetry, geography, and material culture. The successful candidate will focus on newly discovered pre-Islamic inscriptions identified during fieldwork in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the reconstruction of central Arabian society and historical landscapes. Combining epigraphic study with literary and geographical sources, the project offers the opportunity to develop an original doctoral thesis based on previously undocumented material, in collaboration with international scholars and local research partners.

What you will do

PhD Position: Pre-Islamic Central Arabian Inscriptions

The PhD project will focus on the data contained in the hitherto undiscovered inscriptions which the fieldwork will uncover when conducting ground searches for places named in poetry. Searching for the places named in poetry will lead the team to re-trace the tracks of migrations and trading routes as well as settlements and camping grounds of the pre-Islamic central Arabians. Since most of these places have never been studied or surveyed for inscriptions before, it is anticipated that the team will discover many inscriptions in a mixture of Arabic, proto-Arabic and pre-Islamic Thamudic languages. The PhD student will design a doctoral thesis project based on this new material to reveal the historic insight about pre-Islamic Arabian history as presented in the inscriptions. The PhD candidate will initially participate in the fieldwork campaigns to help the team discover the places named in pre-Islamic poetry. During this fieldwork, the PhD candidate will direct particular attention to inscriptions discovered in and around the locations. Working with specialists from the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture, the PhD candidate will document and map all inscriptions. Once a large corpus has been found, the candidate will, with the assistance and supervision of Dr. Webb, select salient aspects for focus for the doctoral dissertation. The specific parameters of that project will depend on the findings. It could include one or a combination of the following elements:

• comprehensive catalogue of inscriptions from one hitherto undocumented inscription-rich and politically important location;
• study of networks and movement of people in pre-Islamic Arabia revealed through names and groups identified in inscriptions;
• study of religious and/or poetic inscriptions;
• analysis of linkages of the information gleaned from inscriptions with Arabic poetry and the wider Arabic literary/textual record;
• analysis of the local culture and traditions of inscribing; and/or tracing inscriptions’ linguistic development during the pre-Islamic period.
  
  

The PhD project is intended to both discover new inscriptions and link their presence and the data contained within them to develop our understanding of pre-Islamic (and nascent-Islamic, if applicable) central Arabian society and history. It is also expected that notable inscriptions not included in the PhD project will be published by the PhD candidate in the Heritage Commission’s Atlal journal.

Key Responsibilities

• Conducting interviews with local populations in Saudi Arabia to identify locations of places named in pre-Islamic poetry;
• Assisting the team in interpreting the poetry and identifying toponyms to search during the fieldwork;
• Finding, mapping and cataloguing pre-Islamic inscriptions in situ;
• Completing a PhD thesis (in English) within four years;
• Contributing to the project’s database and digital resources, and contributing to the Saudi national database of inscriptions;
• Publishing at least two (co-authored) articles in peer-reviewed journals;
• Presenting papers at scholarly workshops and conferences;
• Collaborating with specialists of inscriptions in Saudi universities and institutions;
• Participating in the PhD training program of the Leiden Institute for Area Studies (LIAS) and the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities;
• Participating in the PhD community and intellectual life of the LIAS Institute;
• Subject to the research progress, the candidate will undertake some teaching in the second and third years of the PhD project.

Where you will work

What you bring

• You hold a ResMA or MA with a specialisation in Arabic studies or Arabian archaeology;
• Your ResMA or MA should be awarded by the time of appointment with a grade of 8.0 or above (out of ten), i.e. with a level of distinction or equivalent from your institution. If your MA thesis is not yet complete, we ask you to provide details of your supervisor in your application letter so we can contact them to ascertain your progress;
• You are willing to work for c.3 months per year in fieldwork with the GeoPo project team in Saudi Arabia in years 1 and 2, and willing to undertake fieldwork in year 3 dedicated to your research project;
• You have mother-tongue or otherwise fluent Arabic language skills and are comfortable to conduct interviews with local populations who only speak Arabic to determine the locations of places named in pre-Islamic poetry;
• You can read early Arabic inscriptions and you have undertaken at least some study of pre-Islamic inscriptions in early Arabic and related languages;
• You have full professional working proficiency in English (speaking, writing, reading);
• You have well developed research skills, including a proven track record in working independently and in devising your own research questions and delivering a research project to answer them;
• You are interested in the history and heritage of ancient Arabia;
• You have the ability to complete the PhD thesis within four years.

What we offer

A position as an employed PhD candidate, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week; alternatively, the position can be 0.8 FTE for 5 years), starting date 1 September 2026. Initially the employee will receive a 14-month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from € 3.059-3.881 gross per month for a full-time (1.0 FTE) appointment (the pay scale for PhD candidates is determined in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see http://www.workingat.leiden.edu/

What we value

Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Want to apply or find out more?

• Letter of application with a motivation statement (not more than 1000 words) in which you (i) describe your special interest in the PhD project and (ii) formulate how a researcher can derive significant historical information from inscriptions;
• Your CV, listing education to date, your employment history, language skills, and other academic achievements (e.g. conference papers given, publications, organisation of academic events);
• Names, positions, and contact details of two referees. Do not supply reference letters with your application. Please list your referees in your CV; do not add them on the application system;
• A copy of your MA-thesis, or a writing sample if your MA thesis is not yet complete;
• Transcript of your university grades to date for all courses taken; and
• A copy of your MA certificate, or, if you do not yet have your MA, the contact details of your MA supervisor.

Online interviews will take place in early June, 2026. Enquiries can be made to the Principal Investigator of the GeoPo Project, Dr. Peter Webb (p.a.webb@hum.leidenuniv.nl).