School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry

Dr Janette McWilliam

Classics and Ancient History Discipline Convenor and Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History
07 336 52650
Forgan Smith Building (1) Room E325
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Researcher biography

Research

My research interests include Ancient Material Culture, Greek and Roman Social, Cultural and Political History, Roman Children and Women, Roman Art, Roman Law, Ancient Medicine, Latin Epigraphy, Cultural Identities in the Ancient world, Pedagogical Approaches to teaching Classical Latin and Greek and Museum Studies. I am currently working on projects on Roman Children, the pedagogical approaches to the teaching of Classical Languages, particularly through the use of colour, and First World War Antiquities Collections. I run an International Museum Internship Program and Field School in Italy, and a curatorial internship Program in the R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum. 

Awards

  • 2014 National Teaching Award (Arts and Humanities) awarded by the Office of Teaching and Learning and the Australian Government
  • 2013 UQ Award for Teaching Excellence
  • 2011 Faculty of Arts Award for Teaching Excellence

Grants

  • 2015-2016 AusArts @ AustLit Project, HASS Faculty, Technology Enhanced Learning Grant Project
  • 2015-16: Case Study of Students in LATN1110 Gateway Course at UQ employing Action Research Methodologies (UQ Start Up Grant)
  • 2015-16: Strengthening the Gateways: Aligned, Literate and Flipped: LATN1110, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Strategic Grant
  • 2013: Advanced Research Training Exercise (ARTE) for Advanced Undergraduate Students, Faculty of Arts Strategic Grant
  • 2012: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Website Project Strategic Grant
  • 2012: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Coin Cabinet Project Strategic Grant
  • 2012: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum 3D Scanning Project Strategic Grant
  • 2007: UQ Teaching and Learning Strategic Grant: Teaching Classical Languages in the New Millennium

MA Thesis Supervision (Classics and Ancient History)

  • Roman Theft and Ryan’s Blaming the Victim Theory: A New Approach to an Ancient Issue, Helen Tanner (Completed)
  • Grace en Ainigmois: Exploring the Enigma of Cicero's Greek Use in the Ad Familiares, Rebecca Hasking (Completed)
  • Representation, Power and Space in Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita Book V, Scot McPhee (Completed)
  • Roman Women, Cassandra Tilse (Completed)

MA Thesis Supervision (Museum Studies)

  • Are Modern Antiquities Museums Mausoleums? An Examination of Exhibition Practices, Lynette Petrie (Completed)

Honours Thesis Supervision (Classics and Ancient History)

  • The Role of Rumour and Innuendo in Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars, Matthew Brown (Completed)
  • Julia Domna and Pietas, Juliet Aylmer (Completed)
  • The Dissemination of Moral Values in Greek and Roman Education Systems, David Northcott (Completed)
  • The Portrayal of Piracy in Ancient Prose Fiction, Julian Barr (Completed)
  • Aspects of Public and Private in Roman Household Religion, Rebecca Smith (Completed)
  • Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, Elizabeth Boldy (Completed)
  • Mechanisms of Progression: Sexual Violence and Narrative Ideology in Livy, Marta Sliwinska (Completed)
  • Occupations in Roman Trade: Defining Negotiatores and Mercatores, Wesley Theobald (Completed)
  • What's Love Got To Do With It? An Exploration of Roman North African Children's Epitaphs, Megan Cridland (Completed)
  • 'Duae Patriae': Roman Identity from Foundation to the Social Wars, Jessica Dowdell (Completed)
  • The Extraordinary Effeminate: The Characterisations of Marcus Antonius in Cicero's Second Phillipic, David Andersen (Completed)
  • Romanisation’, 'Acculturation' or 'Code-switching'? The Evidence of Epitaphs in Lusitania and Baetica, Susan Edmondson (Completed)
  • Women in Ancient Greco-Roman Medicine, Felicity Miller (Completed)
  • The Role of Gladiatorial Games in Roman Society, Rachel O'Malley (Completed)
  • Childbirth in Ancient Rome, Marianne Marshall (Completed)
  • Women in the Letters of St Jerome, Johannah Qualmann (Completed)
  • Death is only the Beginning: Relationships between the Living and the Dead in Roman Italy, Emma Bremner (Completed) 
  • Hearth and Home: Investigating the Role of Vesta and Religion in Augustus’ Administration, Alana Strong (Completed) 
  • Representations of Food in Roman Satire, Peter Reichelt (Completed) 
  • The Reception, Integration, and the Socio-Religious Role of Cybele and her Cult in the Augustan and Julio-Claudian Periods, Georgia O’Byrne (Completed) 
  • Law and Trade in Republican Rome, Jacqueline Webber (Completed)
  • The Role of Rumour and Innuendo in Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars, Matthew Brown
  • Gender and Suicide in Ancient Roman Literature, Jessica Zelli
  • Purity and Pollution in Roman Religion, Samantha Levick
  • Public Horti (Gardens) and Morality in Roman Society, Nicholas George
  • The Appropriation of Greek Sculpture in Roman Society, Kyla Duffy
  • Representations of Otherness in Roman Literature: Etruscans and Minority Groups, Dominic Ragonesi
Featured projects Duration
RD Milns Antiquities Museum summer research
Summer Research Scholarship
 2015–2016
Research and the RD Milns Antiquities Museum: Donors, Artefacts and Data Base Management
Summer Research Scholarship
 2016–2017
The First World War Antiquities Project

Publications

Book (1)
Book Chapters (12)
Journal Articles (4)
Conference Papers (2)
Creative Works (33)

Book

McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Brown, Amelia, Christou, Sandra and Powell, Judith (2015). Cyprus: An Island and a People. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.

Book Chapters

McWilliam, Janette (2021). Children in Roman religion and ritual. Children in antiquity: perspectives and experiences of childhood in the ancient Mediterranean. (pp. 370-384) edited by Lesley A. Beaumont, Matthew Dillon and Nicola Harrington. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315542812-30
McWilliam, Janette (2016). African 'Sigillata Piriform Jug’. Fifty Treasures: Classical Antiquities in Australian and New Zealand Universities. (pp. 92-93) edited by Ronald T. Ridley, Bruce Marshall and Kit Morrell. Melbourne, Australia: The Australasian Society for Classical Studies.
McWilliam, Janette (2016). The University of Queensland. The R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum. Fifty Treasures: Classical Antiquities in Australian and New Zealand Universities. (pp. 85-85) edited by Ridley, Ronald T., Marshall, Bruce and Morrell, Kit. Melbourne: The Australasian Society for Classical Studies.
McWilliam, Janette (2016). Marble Tombstone of Vitalis. Fifty Treasures: Classical Antiquities in Australian and New Zealand Universities. (pp. 90-91) edited by Ronald T. Ridley, Bruce Marshall and Kit Morrell. Melbourne, Australia: The Australasian Society for Classical Studies.
McWilliam, Janette (2015). Introduction. Cyprus: an island and a people. (pp. 1-1) edited by Janette McWilliam. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette (2014). Introduction. A Study in Stone. (pp. 7-8) edited by Janette McWilliam. St. Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette (2014). In focus: Via Appia. A Study in Stone. (pp. 43-43) edited by Janette McWilliam. St. Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette (2014). Columbarium. A Study in Stone. (pp. 28-31) edited by Janette McWilliam. St. Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette (2013). The socialization of Roman children. The Oxford Handbook of Childhood and Education in the Classical World. (pp. 264-285) edited by Judith Evans Grubbs, Tim Parkin and Roslynne Bell. New York , United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199781546.013.013
McWilliam, Janette, Puttock, Sonia, Stevenson, Tom and Taraporewalla, Rashna (2011). Introduction. The statue of Zeus at Olympia: New approaches. (pp. 1-8) Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
McWilliam, Janette (2011). The statue of Zeus at Olympia in western imagination via the internet. The statue of Zeus at Olympia: New approaches. (pp. 209-222) edited by Janette McWilliam, Sonia Puttock, Tom Stevenson and Rashna Taraporewalla. Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
McWilliam, Janette (2001). Children among the dead: The Influence of urban life on the commemoration of children on tombstone inscriptions. Childhood, class, and kin in the Roman world. (pp. 74-98) edited by Suzanne Dixon. New York, NY, United States: Routledge.

Journal Articles

Donaldson, James, Asmussen, Brit, McWilliam, Janette and Parkhill, David (2024). Collecting antiquities in wartime: The First World War Antiquities (Queensland) Project. Journal of the History of Collections, 36 (1), 149-166. doi: 10.1093/jhc/fhad034
McWilliam, Janette (2021). Megarian Cup. NOVA: The Friends of Antiquity Magazine, 11-11.
McWilliam, Janette (2018). Vitalis or Vitalinis? A Roman grave-marker for an eight-year-old girl. Antichthon, 52, 117-131. doi: 10.1017/ann.2018.7
McWilliam, Janette (2010). The family as strategy: Image-making and the children of Germanicus. Acta Patristica et Byzantina, 21 (2), 121-140. doi: 10.1080/10226486.2010.11879122

Conference Papers

Donaldson, James, Fairbairn, Andrew and McWilliam, Janette (2021). UQ's RD Milns Antiquities Museum: Current and Future Directions. Mediterranean Archaeology Australasian Research Community Conference 2021, Online, 28-30 January 2021.
Donaldson, James, Asmussen, Brit and McWilliam, Janette (2021). Antiquities from the First World War in Queensland Collections. Mediterranean Archaeology Australasian Research Community Conference 2021, Online, 28-30 January 2021.

Creative Works

McWilliam, Janette and Keenan-Jones, Duncan (2022). Wondrous Machines: VIP Preview and Curator Talk. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland, R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Keenan-Jones, Duncan, Pounds, Pauline, Donaldson, James, Mann, Charlotte and Boden, Marie (2022). Wondrous Machines: Hero of Alexandria's Ancient Automata. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland, R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Keenan-Jones, Duncan, Gerolemou, Maria, Galluzzo, Gabriele, Boden, Marie, Pounds, Pauline and Mann, Charlotte (2022). Wondrous Machines Opening Event. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland, R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette and Donaldson, James (2019). Contested histories: photographs from Mandate Palestine in the JH Iliffe Collection. R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum, University of Queensland: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette and Donaldson, James (2019). Contested histories VIP preview and curator talks. R.D Milns Antiquties Museum, University of Queensland: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2018). Exhibition Opening Event, Curators. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2018). Dionysos: Portrait of a god. VIP Preview and Curator's Talk. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2018). Dionysos: Portrait of a god. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette (2018). Dionysos: Portrait of a god. Exhibition Opening Curator Talk. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum.
McWilliam, Janette, Malik, Shushma, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2016). Useless Beauty Up Late: Jewellery in the Ancient and Modern World. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Malik, Shushma and Andersen, David (2016). Useless Beauty: Luxury and Rome. Brisbane, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2016). Cyprus an Island and a People Public Programs: Cyprus Up Late. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2016). New Minor Exhibition Preview: Egypt, Land of the Pharoahs and the Owen Powell OAM Medical Collection. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2015). Cyprus an Island and a People Public Programs: Doing Archaeology on Modern Cyprus. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Powell, Judith and Donaldson, James (2015). Cyprus an Island and a People Public Programs: Curator Panel. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Smith, Rebecca (2015). Cyprus an Island and a People: Special Exhibition Opening. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Christou, Sandra and Powell, Judith (2015). Cyprus, an Island and a People [Curated Exhibition]. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Smith, Rebecca and Malone, Christopher (2015). Lemuria: Festival of Mysteries. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). The R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Saturday Series Public Lecture 4: Australian Antiquities Collections. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). The R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Saturday Series Public Lecture 3: The Grand Tour. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). The R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Saturday Series Public Lecture 2: Roman Epigraphy and its Collection. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). A Study In Stone: Exhibition Preview 1, 2014. RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Blanshard, Alastair, Donaldson, James and Press, Daniel (2014). A Study in Stone: The History of Epigraphy. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). A Study In Stone: Exhibition Previews 2, 2014. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). The attitudes of Lady Emma Hamilton. Brisbane, QLD, Australia:
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). Lemuria: A Festival of Witches. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
Ratcliffe, John, McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Dowdell, Jessica (2014). The R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum Saturday Series Public Lecture 1: Ancient Medicine. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2013). Lemuria: A Festival of Death. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James and Press, Daniel (2013). Then and Now: 50 Years of Antiquities, 1963-2013. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2012). Saturnalia: Museum Night 2012. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2012). Vertumnalia. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette, Donaldson, James, Press, Daniel and Dowdell, Jessica (2012). Lemuria: Ghosts, Death and Funerary Practices. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: RD Milns Antiquities Museum, The University of Queensland.
McWilliam, Janette (2011). UQ Latin website. UQ website: University of Queensland.

Areas of research

Social and Cultural History of the Greco-Roman World