The Women's Season
Oct 13, 2026 — 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Join us for a lecture by Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, exploring the place of women in Roman society. Drawing on evidence from the ancient world, Professor Woolf examines how women's roles and experiences were shaped by the rhythms of community life, from periods of abundance and celebration to times of hardship and uncertainty. This lecture offers a thought-provoking perspective on the ways social and cultural structures influenced everyday life in the Roman world.
Lecture
The annual rhythms of Roman life were reflected in the alternation of periods of energy and those of torpor, in an oscillating population of cities and villages, in times of plenty and times of scarcity. Yet these rhythms are often written in terms of the actions and experience of Romans that are normatively male. This lecture explores the rhythms of some women's lives as workers, as carers and as (temporary) authority figures in communities which themselves changed their nature over the course of each year.
Professor Greg Woolf
Guest Speaker
Professor Greg Woolf is the Director of the Leon Levy Foundation, and a Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University. A historian and an archaeologist, Greg Woolf’s work focuses on the culture of the Roman empire, including questions of literacy, ancient knowledge cultures and libraries, the Roman economy, ancient cities, and the emergence of religions. He has also published on the European Iron Age and on global history.
Accessibility
If you require accommodation, please contact the event host as soon as possible.