The Professional and Working Hellenistic Women of Independent Delos (314-167 BC)
In this seminar, the professional and working Hellenistic women of Delos during the island’s independence-period (314-167 BC) are examined. During this period, Delos flourished as a commercial centre of the Aegean Sea, with centralised commercial records kept by the sacred institutions of the island, which leased out land and provided loans to individuals. Beginning with an overview of the appearances of Delian women in inscriptions from this period, analysis will focus upon three specific case studies: the working women of Delos; women who seemingly engaged in financial transactions, such as paying family debts; and women who consented to the financial decisions of their husbands. The purpose of this seminar is to demonstrate that women in Hellenistic Delos actively engaged in the accumulation and exploitation of financial capital, both in their own right, and through providing support to their families.
About Classics and Ancient History Seminars
The seminars of UQ's Discipline of Classics and Ancient History are held on Fridays at 4 pm.
Their format is in person and live on online.
The physical venue for all seminars is room E302 of the historic Forgan-Smith Building (building no. 1) on UQ's St Lucia campus in Brisbane.
For the online link please contact the seminar convenor Associate Professor David M. Pritchard (d.pritchard@uq.edu.au).
Seminars 2-3 and 6-7 will be recorded for subsequent publication as open-access podcasts.
Professor Maria Wyke (Seminar 2) is the 2026 Visiting Professor of UQ's Centre for Western Civilisation.
Dr Roslyne Bell comes to Brisbane as a guest of UQ's Friends of Antiquity. She will be delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Ancient History Day on Saturday 21 March.