Women in Antiquity
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News and updates about the course are posted here.
Bookmark this page as your main entry point to the course website. That way, you’ll be sure to see any changes and other information I’ve posted here.
These announcements are also sent out by email to all actively enrolled students on my roster. If you are actively enrolled and are not receiving these emails, it may be that your email system is filtering emails from me (in which case, please whitelist me so you do receive them). Or, I may have the wrong email address for you. If you do not find the emails from me in your filtered emails folder, please send me an email and confirm your address so I am able to reach you with information and updates about the course.
Fall 2026 Courses in Ancient History
8 April 2026
Here are the offerings for the fall in ancient history, should you or a friend be interested. Read more…
Current AnnouncementsRSS feed
Welcome to Week 10!
19 April 2026
This week we’re exploring the story of the Hebrews.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. This is one of those cases where the backstory goes a long way in shedding light on specific and distinctive cultural norms. We’ve already seen how the Sumerians, the Egyptians, and the Greeks had different norms and values about women, mortality, and so on. But they all had two things in common: a homeland, and pagan gods that were rooted in the natural forces of that homeland. With the Hebrew tribes, we see cultural norms defined by exile, war, oppression, and more exile, and an ethnic and religious identity reshaped around a monotheistic god, rejecting paganism and any commonality with pagan peoples.
What do you think most affects their ideas about the role of women? What strikes you about the story of Esther? What kinds of women stand out in the stories preserved in Hebrew and Jewish history?
Looking forward to hearing your reactions and insights. See you Tuesday!
Archive
No Women in Antiquity this week
19 April 2026
As you know, Thursday classes meet on Tuesday this week, so there is no class meeting for Women in Antiquity this week (April 21).
This morning’s weekly “Welcome to Week” email was sent out on autopilot—sorry for the confusion. “Women and the Kingdom of Israel” is in fact next week’s topic (April 28), so you can still start exploring the readings and issues related to that topic, and we’ll talk about it next week.
My Ancient Rome class will be meeting on Tuesday instead, same time, same room. You’re welcome to attend if you want!
Quiz #7 grades and markups posted
19 April 2026
The grades and markups for Quiz #7 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.
Finding Room B-84
16 April 2026
Tonight’s History Career Day is in Carman B-84. If you haven’t been there before, Room B-84 is in the carpeted section of the Multimedia Center that occupies the middle of the basement floor of the building (the floor you enter on from the outside descending steps).
From the main corridor on either side of the building, turn into the Multimedia Center hallway that goes across the middle of the building. Then make a second turn into the carpeted area. Look for for the signs on the wall with arrows that say B-84 and “this way.”
Proposal responses are posted
14 April 2026
I’ve completed my responses to all the proposals I have received; sorry for the delay. They are posted as PDFs on the My Grades page, and attached to the email version of this announcement.
There were some great topics and perspectives this year, and I am really looking forward to diving into your interpretations of gender in the ancient world. I tried to provide some guidance based on the content and direction of your proposals, including some thoughts on scope, examples, and relevant sources. This is not the end of what sagacity I have to offer, of course. Come by my office hours and have a gab about how you want to approach your position paper.
I'm still missing a couple of proposals. If you get one in to me soon, I’ll give you feedback and suggestions. I want to help everyone out, and I’ll be giving general advice in our class meetings, but it’s hard for me to help guide your particular research project if I don’t have your proposal to start from.
The researching and writing of the paper itself always involves adjusted expectations. If you decide to change your thesis during this process, just go ahead and write your paper that way. If you want to change your topic, though, I would like you to send a new proposal so that I can discuss it with you.
Remember, the position paper is due Monday, May 18. That’s soon, when you factor in the time you need to set aside to research your subject, plan your approach, write your paper, and review your arguments to make sure they hit their mark. Make your schedule for the next few weeks now so you can get this paper and all your other work done and still be prepared for finals.
History Career Day
11 April 2026
The History Department is hosting a Career Day panel on April 16 from 6:00–8:00 PM (CA B-84) focused on careers in History, Education, Communications, Public Humanities, Arts and Media, and Community-Based Work.
This event brings together Lehman alumni and faculty working across public-facing fields, including:
- Communications and community arts
- Secondary education (APUSH / Global History)
- Public history and museum education
- Social policy and outreach
- Public history and public humanities
The panel is especially relevant for students interested in careers in traditional classroom teaching and beyond. It will be of particular interest to History majors, Education students, Human Rights and Peace Studies students, and those interested in public engagement work. Refreshments will be served!
Livestream: https://lehman-cuny-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/VlqJoy5-QBKA6bDVS74MFQ
Welcome to Week 9!
10 April 2026
This week we’re talking about Egypt, a very different place from the cultures we’ve explored so far.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. There’s a lot to discuss this week. Was Hatshepsut a fluke, or did she really represent something about women in Egypt? What do you think was most important in making Hatshepsut accepted as a ruler? Was her damnatio memoriae—her successor’s destruction of her legacy—about female inheritance, or was something else going on?
The articles give us a few more vantage points to talk about gender in Egypt. What do you think we can say about how different things were for women in Egypt, and why?
Please note: Concerning the reading from Roehrig, there’s a “Note” button that gives some advice about approaching this book. It’s long, but it’s mostly pictures, and the tl;dr is: read the six articles, which are shorter than they seem, and skim the rest, which is mainly inventory. Look out for pictures that strike your imagination. What images of Hatshepsut stand out for you the most?
Looking forward to discussing this with you. See you Tuesday!