Domestication of Perennial Plants: Evolution and Dispersal

Some of the most heavily investigated research topics in the sciences relate to the origins of agriculture. Over the past century and a half, scholars from across several fields of scholarship have dedicated their careers to the questions of when, where, how, and why plants and animals were first domesticated. Nonetheless, the vast majority of this research focuses on a handful of crops, notably the large-seeded annual grass crops (cereals) and certain legumes. The domestication of perennials, especially arboreal crops, has received little attention, despite their importance in modern world economies. These crops share similarities in the process of domestication; however, it is clear that they followed very different paths towards domestication than annual grasses. The past five years have seen a revolution in domestication studies, which largely revolved around the rejection of Neolithic Revolution models in favor of protracted models. As new methods are introduced and old methods are applied in new geographic areas, scholars are dramatically revising our understanding of the timing and spread of domestication processes.

This student will work with a growing assemblage of archaeobotanical data from across Europe, Asia, and Africa, specifically focusing on the domestication of perennial crops. Being at the MPI SHH would give the student access to ongoing arboreal domestication research. The student will be able to work with some of the earliest samples in West Asia to show evidence for fruit-tree management or early samples from North Africa that have evidence for heavy fruit collecting. The student will have the unique opportunity to study the domestication of trees from a global perspective. The student will use morphological data on the remains of early fruit seeds in order to model the pathway towards domestication. In this regard, an apple or a grain of wheat is an archaeological artifact that, if properly studied, can tell us about early human cultural changes.

Please visit our website https://imprs.shh.mpg.de for details about the projects, the IMPRS-SHH and admission requirements.
The preferred starting date of PhD appointment: September 1st, 2019 / or an individual basis between July 1 and October 1, 2019
Contract type: TV-B/L 13 (50% / Max Planck support contract or contract with university), temporary, 3 years (extension possible)

Application: via our online application portal
https://s-lotus.gwdg.de/mpg/mjws/perso/shh_d012.nsf/application

The application deadline is January 31st, 2019.
The deadline for references is February 3rd, 2019.

For further information on how to apply, please visit our website https://imprs.shh.mpg.de, or contact us at [Email Address Removed].

IMPRS-SHH is supporting equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. The Max Planck Society is committed to employ more handicapped individu-als and especially encourages them to apply.

Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website https://imprs.shh.mpg.de.