Peopling the Past - Call the (Roman) Midwife: Ancient Delivery and Childbirth with Tara Mulder

Call the (Roman) Midwife: Ancient Delivery and Childbirth with Tara Mulder

06/07/22 • 30 min

In today's episode, our featured guest Dr. Tara Mulder tells us all about the oldest profession in the world: midwifery! Listen in on a discussion between Dr. Mulder and hosts Dr. Chelsea Gardner and Dr. Melissa Funke that covers the sights, sounds, smells, and experiences of childbirth in ancient Rome, from the perspective of professional midwives. We look at a gravestone of a known midwife and talk about training and approaches to the birthing process. Dr. Mulder brings a unique perspective to the conversation, as she herself the daughter of a professional midwife! Don't miss it, this is an episode that definitely delivers!

Previous Episode

So Long as There is Hope: Wonder Women in Classics and Comics with Natalie Swain

Welcome to the first ever LIVE episode of Peopling the Past! Join our featured expert, Dr. Natalie Swain, and hosts Drs. Chelsea Gardner and Melissa Funke, for the premiere of our season on Women in the Ancient Mediterranean. Dr. Swain is an expert on the reception of Classics in modern comics and during this episode we discuss how ancient women, both real and mythological, figure into comics of the 20th and 21st centuries. You will hear about well-known favourites like Wonder Woman, but you'll also have a chance to learn about newer comics, like Lore Olympus, Nubia, and Three. Together, we chat about how some awesome new re-tellings of ancient stories by more diverse authors are changing the landscape of traditional comics.

A special thanks to our audience, the students at the University of Winnipeg, for listening in and taking part in the live Q&A you'll hear at the end of the episode! It's a truly WONDERful time!

Next Episode

Sisters are Doing it for Themselves: Mesopotamian Free Women with Stephanie Budin

What does it mean to be a "free woman" in the ancient Mediterranean world? Listen in as our guest, Dr. Stephanie Budin, joins Chelsea and Melissa to discuss women who lived outside of the traditional confines of the patriarchy and who were not under the direct control of a man. Dr. Budin, a historian and expert in ancient religion and sexuality, tells us about "harimatu" in ancient Mesopotamia and refutes the idea that these free women were prostitutes. This episode has it all: sex, gender-bending legal documents, and the dismantling of patriarchal assumptions about women's freedom and the origins of prostitution.