Postdoctoral Researcher in the Cognitive Archaeology of Paleolithic Marked Objects M/F

Organisation/Company CNRS Department De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie Research Field History Anthropology Environmental science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 5 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The ERC Synergy project QUANTA investigates the emergence and evolution of cognitive tools used to produce, store, and transmit quantitative information. One of the project's central hypotheses is that some Paleolithic objects made of animal hard materials or stone and bearing deliberate series of marks may have functioned as devices for counting, memorization, or notation.

The postdoctoral researcher will study a selected corpus of European and African archaeological objects to identify how the marks were produced, the gestures and operational sequences involved, their organization, and their possible functions. The research will combine technological, use-wear, morphometric, and experimental approaches, drawing on the imaging facilities available at PACEA and across the QUANTA network.

A second component, conducted in collaboration with other project members, will compare the archaeological evidence with ethnographic data on material devices used for counting, memorization, and information transmission. This research may draw on eHRAF World Cultures and other published ethnographic sources.

By integrating archaeological, experimental, and ethnographic evidence, the project will critically assess alternative functional interpretations and contribute to broader models of the emergence of notation systems and the cultural evolution of quantitative cognition.

• Build and document a targeted corpus of Paleolithic objects bearing series of marks.
• Conduct technological, use-wear, morphometric, and spatial analyses of objects made of animal hard materials and stone.
• Design and conduct experiments reproducing the techniques and sequences used to create the marks.
• Develop or adapt quantitative protocols for analysing mark morphology, sequencing, and spatial organization.
• Acquire, manage, and analyse imaging data using macrophotography, multifocus microscopy, and confocal microscopy.
• Contribute, in collaboration with relevant project specialists, to a cross-cultural study of material devices used for counting, memorization, and notation.
• Integrate archaeological, experimental, and ethnographic evidence into comparative databases.
• Present results at project meetings and international conferences.
• Prepare articles for international peer-reviewed journals in collaboration with QUANTA members.
• Contribute to the project's collective activities and scientific dissemination.

The position will be based in Bordeaux at UMR 5199 PACEA—University of Bordeaux, CNRS, and the French Ministry of Culture—under the scientific supervision of Francesco d'Errico, one of the four Principal Investigators of the ERC Synergy project QUANTA.

PACEA conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of archaeology, biological anthropology, palaeoanthropology, geosciences, and cognitive science. The laboratory and the QUANTA network provide access to advanced imaging and analytical equipment, including fixed and portable confocal microscopes, multifocus microscopes, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF).

The postdoctoral researcher will join an international team and collaborate with QUANTA partners in Bordeaux, Bergen, Leipzig, and Zurich. The position will involve research visits to study archaeological collections, stays at partner institutions, and participation in international conferences.

Essential qualifications

• PhD in prehistoric archaeology, archaeology, palaeoanthropology, or a closely related field.
• Experience in the technological or functional study of archaeological objects, preferably made of animal hard materials and/or stone.
• Ability to design analytical protocols, produce reproducible data, and test functional hypotheses.
• Experience in the acquisition and quantitative analysis of morphological or surface data.
• Proficiency in at least one