Abortion today, at least in the United States, is a political, legal and moral powder keg. But for long stretches of history, terminating an unwanted pregnancy, especially in the early stages, was a ...

Karen L. King is Professor of New Testament Studies and the History of Ancient Christianity at Harvard University in the Divinity School. She has published widely in the areas of Gnosticism, ancient ...

According to historical sources, "women" — specifically meaning, in that time and culture, married, childbearing females — were not allowed to attend or participate in the original Olympic Games in ...

The same sources say "maidens" — a category comprising unmarried women, young and old — were allowed to attend, though they could not participate in the Games themselves. Although most historians ...

In the shadow of Vesuvius, Pompeii has long offered an unparalleled window into ancient Roman life—but the view has been skewed. For centuries, women’s roles in the city have been overlooked or ...

Around 186 BCE, a former slave turned courtesan named Hispala Faecenia fell in love with a young upper-middle class Roman man named Publius Aebutius. Then she learned his mother and stepfather planned ...

We like to think we know what our ancient female forebears were like. Yet a spate of recent discoveries confirms the truth: that we really have no idea. Clues from ancient texts and archaeological ...

Archaeologists excavating a mysterious medieval cemetery in Wales have uncovered compelling evidence that the burial ground was part of an early female religious community. The discovery of a possible ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Kim Elsesser covers issues that impact women in the workplace. Archaeologists recently excavated the remains of a 9,000-year-old ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

Ancient men are traditionally imagined as hunters, while women are gatherers. But this stereotype may be just that, according to a new study. This discovery opens up exciting new possibilities of what ...

Dawn LaValle Norman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations ...