This is a call for papers for an interdisciplinary conference on the lives of women in Antiquity and the early Medieval period organised by Trivium – Tampere Centre for Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Tampere (Finland) in collaboration with the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

The organisers invite papers that explore the ways in which women could exercise political, economic, or religious influence outside the household. We are particularly interested in papers that focus on the lives of women who did not belong to the elite. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

• women and economy

• women in business

• women’s activity in local communities (politics, charity, religion etc.)

• women and religion

• women’s visibility in the urban sphere

• women as representatives of their families

• women’s public activities in different phases of life

The conference is to be held from the 22nd to the 24th of October, 2014 at Tampere, Finland.

Abstracts of a maximum of 300 words should be submitted by 20th of October 2013 to [email protected]

The organisers welcome the participation of doctoral students as well as of senior researchers.

Organising Committee: Katariina Mustakallio, Lena Larsson Lovén. Marja-Leena Hänninen, Helène Whittaker and Agneta Strömberg