One-month research opportunity focusing on manuscripts related to Mount Athos held by Princeton University Library

We invite applications for a one-month in-person research visit to consult Mount Athos-related manuscripts held in Princeton University Library Special Collections. Special Collections holds a variety of Byzantine and post-Byzantine manuscripts either produced, used or connected in other ways to Athonite monasteries. Several of these Byzantine and post-Byzantine manuscripts are little known and await to be explored and researched to shed new light on medieval book production as well as the role of Mount Athos in more modern times. Of specific interest is Princeton Greek Ms. 172, the painter’s manual of Dionysios of Fourna, which contains descriptions of icon painting techniques that would have been followed on Mount Athos. Furthermore, the richness and scope of the Princeton University collection allows for a comparative focus among different Athonite monasteries and languages, but also a variety of topics, including mathematics, astronomy, and liturgy, among others. Prospective applicants are urged to consult the Library’s website for detailed descriptions of the Special Collections holdings and Sofia Kotzabassi, Nancy Patterson Ševčenko, and Don Skemer, Greek Manuscripts at Princeton, Sixth to Nineteenth Century: A Descriptive Catalogue (Princeton: Princeton, University Press, 2010).

This opportunity is part of our larger project, Connecting Histories: the Princeton and Mount Athos Legacy, that aims to draw attention to, and engage with, holdings related to Mount Athos on the Princeton campus. The successful scholar will have the opportunity to travel to and reside in Princeton for one month with the goal to explore the manuscript division within Special Collections and produce new and original research.

This one month-long research opportunity would be held anytime between fall 2025 and early 2026. The successful applicant will hold a PhD in Art History or History or other relevant discipline with a specialized knowledge of Byzantine and post-Byzantine manuscripts and be fluent in English and Greek. As part of the research opportunity, there will be two outcomes: a written piece that focuses on the original research on the collection (no more than 3,000 words) and a presentation (via Zoom) summarizing the research completed and the new findings. The text will be published on this project website.  This opportunity offers a stipend of $5,000 for travel, accommodation and meals, and has been generously funded by the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

To apply, please send a CV and letter of interest addressing which manuscripts in the collections the candidate is interested in and how they relate to their proposed research project to gearhart@princeton.edu and marossi@princeton.edu by May 1, 2025.