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.

Current Announcements (2)RSS feed

Signing up for your presentations

29 January 2026

A Greek leader speaking to the people.

Thanks for a great discussion and inauguration on Tuesday! Here’s a reminder about signing up for presentations.

Over the course of the semester we’ll be exploring a number of readings, both primary and secondary sources. Everyone will have a chance to briefly introduce one of each to the class in order to kick off our discussion of the text and what the reading is telling us.

Go ahead and sign up now for your two presentations. The sign-up page is on the course website (at markbwilson dot com), under Presentations. Look the list over and find one that seems like it might be interesting to spend a little time with when it comes up later in the semester. Each of the titles has a URL link to the reading, so you can get a preview. The dates on which we’ll be getting to each reading are there, too.

If you haven’t watched the welcome video on the home page of the course website, do that first. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Link to Presentations page

Welcome to Week 1!

25 January 2026

Etruscan cinerary urn featuring a content old woman reclining holding a pomegranate.

This is a quick note to welcome you all to the beginning of Women in Antiquity! I’m looking forward to exploring gender in the ancient world with all of you, starting with our first meeting on Tuesday. The meeting is in-person, 6:00 – 8:40 p.m., in Carman 209. I know there’s a storm happening Monday, but as of now we will be meeting in person on Tuesday. If that changes I will let you know!

This week we’re exploring ideas about gender norms and expectations in ancient societies, including shared perspectives ancient cultures tend to have in common as well as the kinds of things that tend to be radically different from one culture to the next. How do we gain insight into what it means to be a woman, or a man, in ancient Egypt, Greece, Sumer, Judea, or Rome? We’ll also talk what you’re hoping to explore in the course. What about the women in the ancient world do you find interesting or want to know more about? What aspects of gender in antiquity do you want to look into and understand better?

Syllabus and video: As a reminder, the syllabus, assignments, and requirements are all on the course website, which is on my website, markbwilson dot com. Make sure you’ve looked through the site and that you’ve watched the welcome video, which talks about how the course works and answers some common questions.

Books: Also make sure you have the book. The Pomeroy will be getting regular use starting in a couple of weeks, and it shouldn’t be hard to find. The reading assignments on the Schedule page of the website are what you need to have read (and thought about) before coming to class.

Email me: Many of you replied back to the welcome-to-the-course email I sent you after you enrolled, confirming that I have a good email address for you. If you didn’t, could you do me a favor and reply back to this one and let me know that I can use this address, or that a different email is better for you? Thanks. I’ll be sending out lots of emails, including weekly previews and information on assignments, so it’s important I’m able to reach you.

Sign up for your presentations: There is a sign-up page on the course website for the two presentations you’ll be doing: one on a primary source, and another on one of the articles we’re reading throughout the semester. These presentations are just you introducing a reading to the class, along with your take on what the author is trying to say and what you think it means, as a way of kicking off our discussion of that reading.

Everyone needs to sign up for one presentation on a primary source, and one on a secondary source. You can get that out of the way now and choose readings and topics that seem interesting to you. To get to the page, click on “Presentation” in the side menu, then “Signup #1” and “Signup #2”. As always, I'm grateful to those who pick the earlier ones! If you have questions, we’ll talk more about presentations and the rest of the course components at our first meeting.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll see you all on Tuesday!

Link to Schedule page

Tuesday in-person meeting is still on

26 January 2026

I hope everyone is safe and well after the storm. Just a reminder that we are meeting in person as planned on Tuesday, January 27. This is an important meeting, as we’ll be establishing some of the key ideas we’ll be using throughout the semester.

Please allow extra transit time, and travel safely. See you in class!

Link to Schedule page

Welcome to Week 0!

19 January 2026

Just a quick note to say hello and to check around for any questions you have about the course. I’m looking forward to setting out on our journey of exploration next week.

If you haven’t already done so at some point, please reply to one of my emails or email me at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu to confirm I have a good email address for you. I like to send out news and course updates by email, and I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of that one, please definitely reply and tell me that. Thanks!

I’ve made the Brightspace page for the course available, so you should be able to see it in your Brightspace course listing. Note that we are using Brightspace this semester only for uploading papers and posting weekly responses. Everything else is on the course website, which is located at markbwilson dot com. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t yet, and to order the required text. There’s a link to the course website on the Brightspace navigation banner and home page.

That’s it for now. See you soon!

Welcome to Women in Antiquity! (Spring 2026)

9 December 2025

Ancient fresco from Knossos palace at Crete.

Welcome to Women in Antiquity! I’m looking forward to a great semester exploring ideas of gender in the ancient world.

Right now, I need you to do three things.

First, look over the course web page, which will be our base of operations. Watch the quick welcome and orientation video (linked here and on the overview page). Look through each of the pages on the website to see how the course will work and how the readings and discussions are set up. Any questions about how it works, please send me an email.

Second, get the book now if you can. A lot of you will be ordering books online, and you need to make sure you have the book and are ready to go when the course starts on January 27. On the “Books” page I’ve tried to give you some different options for getting what you need, but consider ordering now if there’s going to be any kind of shipping involved. (If you come across a legitimate online/e-text version of one of the assigned readings that’s not already listed, please let me know.)

Finally, send me an email so that I know I have a working email address for you. You can just send a blank email, email and say “hi”, or email with a question or concern, but I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of this one, please definitely reply and tell me that.

Email me anytime with questions at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu. I’m looking forward to starting our journey together.

Link to Overview page