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Formalized communication in the Middle Ages played a key role in the interaction between different social groups. Gift, symbol and ritual were essential tools for expressing power, loyalty and hierarchy. This text analyses the importance of gift-giving (gift, property, land, rank) as a means of building relationships and reinforcing mutual commitments. Symbols, including insignia and gestures, were an integral part of communication, providing a visual representation of authority and identity. Rituals, from coronations to peace treaties, functioned as formal frameworks for legitimizing power and maintaining social order. The study highlights how these elements enabled not only the exchange of material values, but also the transmission of symbolic meaning and the strengthening of cultural and political bonds. The thesis will explore this theme through a critical analysis of sources from the Hungarian, Bohemian and Polish milieus, particularly between the 10th and 14th centuries. The research also aims to use digital humanities tools in the analysis and evaluation of data in the available sources.Prerequisite: knowledge of Slovak/Czech language, English (min. B2). Ability to work with contemporary sources in Latin. Knowledge of Hungarian, German or other world languages is an advantage.

Although the European Late Bronze Age is archaeologically significant, it remains understudied in Slovak archaeology. Southwestern Slovakia, in particular, requires a comprehensive reassessment aligned with modern methodological trends.
A broader scholarly consensus suggests that around 1200 BC, Europe experienced intensified transformational processes, most evident in the Eastern Mediterranean (3.2 ka Crisis). Slovak research has long assumed that Middle Danube communities were part of or directly affected by these changes. However, it remains unclear whether this was truly the case and, if so, how these processes can be characterized and explained.
This dissertation aims to collect, categorize, and analyze all available archaeological, climatic, and environmental data from LBA southwestern Slovakia and evaluate them in a broader context. The findings will contribute to understanding regional impacts of Late Bronze Age transformations and refine existing models of socio-cultural change

Formalized communication in the Middle Ages played a key role in the interaction between different social groups. Gift, symbol and ritual were essential tools for expressing power, loyalty and hierarchy. This text analyses the importance of gift-giving (gift, property, land, rank) as a means of building relationships and reinforcing mutual commitments. Symbols, including insignia and gestures, were an integral part of communication, providing a visual representation of authority and identity. Rituals, from coronations to peace treaties, functioned as formal frameworks for legitimizing power and maintaining social order. The study highlights how these elements enabled not only the exchange of material values, but also the transmission of symbolic meaning and the strengthening of cultural and political bonds. The thesis will explore this theme through a critical analysis of sources from the Hungarian, Bohemian and Polish milieus, particularly between the 10th and 14th centuries. The research also aims to use digital humanities tools in the analysis and evaluation of data in the available sources. Prerequisite: knowledge of Slovak/Czech language, English (min. B2). Ability to work with contemporary sources in Latin. Knowledge of Hungarian, German or other world languages is an advantage.

The aim of the dissertation is to investigate the phenomenon of marginalization in a suitably defined period (or even region) on a selected group of the population. It can be a socially excluded group based on ethnicity, lifestyle, poverty, employment or religion (e.g. Jews, Roma, vagrants, beggars, prostitutes and other so-called dishonest occupations). The topic might be explored in different levels and aspects: 1. Legal - restrictions and sanctions against the group in laws, regulations and statutes 2. judicial practice - local strategies and practices, possibly comparison with the legal prescriptive sources, whether they agreed or differed 3. discursive level – legal-theoretical, ecclesiastical, philosophical and other learned opinions 4. reflection of the issue in art (visual, literary) 5. reflection in popular culture. By combining the various sources analysed, the PhD student will note the extent and spread of social exclusion, the diversity of attitudes, the phenomena concomitant with marginalisation (stereotyping, scapegoating, criminalisation, persecution) and the developmental changes in attitudes. The student can compare the findings with developments in Western Europe, pointing out any patterns, similarities or differences.

Marginal people in the cities in 19th and 20th centuries between social integration and exclusion

The aim of the dissertation is a research on the social status and social incslusion problems of  selected marginal groups (e. g. beggars, homelesses,  disabled, findlings or other) in cities in the 19th (and the first half of 20th) century. Gender differences in status and limits of integration will be an important research question. In addition to socio-historical and socio-cultural approaches, the emphasis will be on comparison. The case studies of selected institutions (e.g. poorhouse, workhouse, social care institution) in different towns/regions of the Habsburg Monarchy/Europe will be the basis for comparison focusing also on the issue of social policy transfer and social inclusion practices. The topic will be refined during the PhD study on the basis of the chosen social group, regions and institutions, taking into account the available research sources. The candidate is expected to have a basic overview of political and social developments in the selected countries/regions and adequate language skills: in addition to Slovak/Czech and English, other language(s) of the countries/regions selected for comparison.

The goal of the dissertation project is to analyze a specific industrial company in Czechoslovakia over a decade, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The analysis should focus on the business policies of the company's leadership/management. Specifically, it should examine strategies for acquiring and maintaining foreign markets during a time of significant geopolitical and economic changes. The project should also include a comparative aspect in the framework of the Central European region. An interest in economic history and the history of post-communist transformation is essential. Additionally, proficiency in English (minimum B2 level), Slovak, or Czech is required. Passive knowledge of another European language is preferred.

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the manner in which the primary political currents and groupings in Slovakia during the 1990s reflected on the past. The central research question revolves around how distinct politics of history contributed to the development of political identities. Applicants are required to submit their individual research projects, which may focus on specific ideological currents (e.g., left, liberals, conservatives), particular political parties, or influential individuals or groups. A comparative approach, encompassing other cases from the Central and Eastern European region, is anticipated. Proficiency in English (at least B2) and Slovak/Czech is a prerequisite. Knowledge of German and a language from the CEE region is an advantage.

The aim of the dissertation is to examine changes, adaptations, and persistence of social practices linked to the period of the 1980s and 90s. Applicants are expected to submit a research project focused on a specified sphere of social practices. Priority is given to projects dealing with the area of Central Europe or proposing a wider European comparative framework. A deeper interest in social history, historical anthropology, discourse analysis, and also preliminary orientation in the selected topic is expected. Requirements: Knowledge of English (min. B2), Slovak/Czech, and reading proficiency in another European language.

The aim of the dissertation is to investigate the cross-border and international contacts and inspirations of the so-called grey zone, which, compared to open dissent, has long remained outside the interest of scholars. Chronologically, the research is defined by the existence of socialist dictatorships in the second half of the 20th century. The emphasis is on the period of so-called real socialism, with consideration given also to exploring longer continuities. Territorially, the topic is anchored on the territory of Czechoslovakia, with overlap to selected Soviet satellites and also to the states where the active foreign contacts of the actors under study extended. The research mainly focuses on discourses and informal practices related to ambivalently used social spaces (grey zones) that did not cross the boundaries of legality, outlined by governmental power. There, communities with their own etiquette, rituals and norms were formed, able to appropriate and adapt regime spaces, structures, funds and rhetoric. Through various strategies, they have expanded specific spaces, enabling the creation and connection of civic, expert and other networks. A deeper interest in social and cultural history, historical anthropology, the history of media and political censorship, the political history of Central Europe, and a preliminary orientation to the topic are expected. The prerequisite is knowledge of English (min. B2), Slovak/Czech language reading proficiency in another European language.

The topic includes the development of the use and interpretation of the importance of the dominant site of the Liptovská basin - the hill Liptovská Mara - Havránok in the protohistoric period based on the rich materials from the long-term excavations of the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV). The hill was fortified and used as an important sacrificial place from the Middle La Téne to the beginning of the Roman period. The topic will also include reconsideration of the reconstructions of selected archaeological features and the use of the site for cultural tourism.

The definition of the development of trade and exchange relations in the specified area in the Protohistoric and Early Medieval Periods. The interpretation of the minting and use/non-use of coins and other instruments of exchange and their various functions in different periods and communities, focused on the local coin production and relevant raw material resources in Slovakia.

The thesis focuses on exploring the lives of women in the Eastern Hallstatt culture from various perspectives. Its primary aim is to identify women in the archaeological record and address questions such as: What was the position, role, and perception of women in Hallstatt society? To what extent did burial rites and grave goods reflect the social identities of women within the horizontal and vertical social structure? What factors influenced female visual identity (including costumes)? And what potential profane and ritual activities were performed by women? The distribution area of the Eastern Hallstatt culture consisted of several regional groups. Therefore, it will be important to identify any potential common features or differences in the researched issues across the various regions of the Eastern Hallstatt culture (with the aim of identifying possible interregional female communication networks). In addition to case studies of richly furnished graves, the graves of women with less rich grave goods or without any grave goods present an additional methodological and interpretative challenge.
The starting point of the thesis is almost exclusively on published cemeteries, supplemented by information from settlements. The successful completion of the thesis also requires an interdisciplinary approach – particularly the involvement of knowledge from physical anthropology, paleodemography, ethnoarchaeology, as well as cultural, social, and gender anthropology.
An additional contribution could be the comparison with the results of similar research in the Western Hallstatt culture, which has received more attention than the Eastern Hallstatt area. The issue of women and the female aspect has not yet been comprehensively addressed for the Eastern Hallstatt culture. Therefore, this topic is promising not only for the doctoral study itself but also offers the potential for further exploration during postdoctoral research, considering additional aspects.

The aim of the dissertation is to elaborate the finds fund related to iron production in selected areas of the Western Carpathians, with a focus on southern Slovakia (in the region of Gemer and, for comparison, in the region of Považský Inovec). The work should document and evaluate the existing knowledge on the method of ore extraction (mud ores, mine workings), production of pig iron and iron products. In addition to archaeological descriptive methods, physical and chemical analytical methods could also be used thanks to the cooperation with Hungarian partners and the results of research in the different mining and production regions could be compared.

The The aim of the thesis is to summarize, analyze and evaluate the archaeological and historical sources on the rotation querns in the territory of present-day Slovakia. From the excavations of settlements, as well as surface surveys and exceptionally graves, there is an enormous finds fund of both whole pieces and fragments. Their detailed archaeological as well as material analysis in the context of knowledge from the Central Danube area will provide important information for the reconstruction of life in the Middle Ages - sources of raw materials, diet, mining and processing technologies, transport, trade/exchange, etc. The precondition for a successful solution of the thesis is interdisciplinary cooperation - especially comparison with historical and art-historical sources, and cooperation with geologists.

Between the 14th and 17th centuries, significant social and economic changes took place in Upper Hungary, which is also reflected in the development of ceramics. The Hussite raids and the Ottoman invasion influenced the life of the inhabitants of Upper Požitavie. The thesis focuses on the analysis of ceramics from the castles of Gýmeš and Hrušov, which will be compared with the findings of ceramics from the surrounding villages and the town Zlaté Moravce. The first pottery centres in Pukanec and Brehy were discovered, whose products supplied the area under study.

The Islamic nationalism (Tur. mukkadesatçılık) of Necip Fazıl Kısakürek (1905-1983) is today often seen in Turkish society as an ideological weapon and doctrine against Atatürk’s Kemalism, which significantly shaped the thinking and actions of contemporary pro-Islamic circles in the country. The iconic status of this prominent thinker, poet, novelist, theoretician and radical Islamist representative became the focus of scholarly research in the international context practically only after 2000. Based on a detailed analysis of his work, we anticipate a critical evaluation of Kısakürek’s theory of the Islamic state and his political views after 1950.

The aim of this project is to collect, analyze and evaluate original written, pictorial and 3D source material from the period 1843–1945 by Slovak authors with an interest in ancient Egypt who lived in the mentioned period on the territory of today’s Slovakia in the former Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Czechoslovakia. This source material in any way associated with ancient Egypt or Egyptology may relate to history, art, architecture, correspondence, travel, collections, education, etc., and was publicly published/accessible/exhibited (magazines, newspapers, letters, literature, postcards, exhibition) or comes from private archives/collections/possessions. The existence of such material and its evaluation aim to document the diversity and extent of individual a societal interest in this ancient civilization in the Slovak culture of the mentioned historical period.

Polish-Slovak research at the Egyptian site of Tell el-Retaba has discovered several components of the 19th and 20th Dynasties' defensive capabilities since 2007. The research should focus on placing them in the context of defence capabilities explored in the north-eastern Nile Delta and northern Sinai and verify hypotheses related to the strategic importance of drinking water sources and their control in desert, semi-desert, and saline sea and lake water environments. It should also verify the methods of controlling drinking water sources by military garrisons, compare the construction of fortresses, their ramparts and moats, as well as defensive and logistical usage, based on archaeological, written and iconographic sources.

Hungarian kingdom was part of the European trend of exploring other continents, although in its case this trend did not lead to the creation of colonies. Research should focus on the historical and social context of the journeys, as well as on examining the methods, reasons and goals of travel and the social composition of Upper Hungarian travellers to Africa and Asia in the long 19th century based on contemporary literature, media, travelogues, archival and registry research. Comparison with travellers from neighbouring territories and countries would be also be welcome. Research should also focus on the potential contribution of these trips to historical collections and art in the territory of today's Slovakia.

Looking for biblical traces was strongly present already in the very beginnings of research of ancient Egypt. Just as Egypt was interesting for Western scholars and travellers as a civilization per se, so were they also interested in looking for biblical traces in Egypt itself. After more than 200 years of research, knowledge of the relationship between Egypt and the biblical tradition has expanded considerably. There is a certain consensus on some issues, such as the location of biblical places, while others, such as the degree of historicity of events described in the biblical texts, are still under discussion. This theme is to summarize and evaluate the current state of research in this field and to bring own research on this topic.

First private printed Arabic newspapers and journals were established in Palestine during the Second Constitutional Era. In the years following the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 a large number of periodicals were founded. Arabic newspapers and journals are an incredibly rich, but underresearched source of information on this key period. The goal of the dissertation thesis will be the examination of selected topics discussed in the periodical press in late Ottoman Palestine.