Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals

Throughout history, women have played integral roles in family,society, religion, government, war—in short, in all aspects of human civilization. In Warriors, Queens, and Intellectuals: 36 Great Women before 1400, taught by Professor Emerita of Humanistic Studies Joyce E. Salisbury,you will experience another side of history, one that has often been overlooked. In these 36 lectures, women step out from the footnotes and sidebars of traditional history and into the spotlight, illuminating the dark corners of the pre-modern world along the way. From thwarted daughters and ambitious wives to fearless revolutionaries and brilliant philosophers, you will see how women have played diverse roles throughout history and why their influence is so vital to a fuller understanding of the world we live in today. Beginning at the startof the Roman Empire and carrying you through to the endof the Middle Ages, Professor Salisbury will introduce you to dozens of influential women from all across the globe. In unearthing these stories, we are not only able to rediscover the contributions of women—often lost to time and whose stories were written to fit prevailing prejudices—but we are also able to see our own history in new, more nuanced ways. Beyond battles and dates and the names of great men, there are other stories that can give us a richer understanding of the past and how it has shaped the world we live in today.