Welcome to the blog on ‘Women of Power and Influence in Late Antiquity’
The focus of this blog is on women in the Eastern and Western Roman Empire of late antiquity who had power and influence in various spheres including political, social, religious, and spiritual, and whose cultural influence extended to the Middle Ages and some may well argue continue to be felt today.
These women of late antiquity played active roles in society however, in most cases behind the scene due to their gender. The lives of these women have been too often ignored and considered unimportant in history. Therefore, this blog’s purpose is to educate and illustrate to the general public and academics alike that understanding the influence that these women had on their society can enrich and inform our understanding of the fascinating period of late antiquity.
The primary sources for each article in this blog will come from a wide range of backgrounds including; hagiographies, letter collections and fragments, epitaphs, laws such as council decrees, apostolic constitutions, and patristic writings. Current scholarship on the subject will also be consulted, but the blog is primarily based on Gillham and Sahivirta’s PhD-dissertation research.
The articles that you will find on this blog aim to bring fresh academic research that can be trusted and referred to as the ‘first point of reference.’ By focusing on the power and influence of each personality the articles will aim to answer the six basic questions (who, what, why, when, where, and how). This is a simple and effective method of collecting information which will enable readers to receive the overall information and establish a solid framework for further academic or private research for each personality. Each article will be accompanied by an up-to-date historiography.
If you wish to use information from this website please cite the articles as suggested at the bottom of the each page. This website is © copyrighted by Dina Gillham and Ella Sahivirta.
We encourage and welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and quality discussion.
Dina & Ella
Docendo discimus