Women do have a history of their own. All we need to do is remember it.

We are delighted to welcome Dr Christine Lehnen to Housmans to discuss her illuminating new investigation, Remembering Women, that looks back at our collective memory to explore the myriad ways that women in the past have enjoyed a more egalitarian life

Due to advances in bioarchaeological methods, scientists have discovered that one out of three women in Ancient Scythia was an active warrior buried with her weapons. Far from being confined to their homes, these women rode out to hunt, travelled to distance places, or used weapons to fend off their enemies. These warriors were no exceptions to the rule, with women enjoying a significantly higher degree of equality than their Greek contemporaries.

Remembering Women argues that there is a historical precedent for a fairer society. From reappraisals of well-known objects such as the earliest human bone calendars from the Stone Age to revelatory findings of innovative bioarcheological methods used on human remains from Ancient Scythia, evidence is accumulating that there were places in the past where all women were allowed to thrive.

Interweaving new findings from archaeology with the stories of her mother and grandmothers, as well as her everyday experiences as a woman living today, Lehnen explores our collective memory of women and argues that it needs to change if we are to create an egalitarian society. Remembering Women follows the traces left in the material, literary, and archaeological record by our foremothers, and their heirlooms, artwork and stories, to take a fresh look at our life in the present.

Christine will be joined in conversation by the writer and wild-swimmer Emma Simpson, author of Breaking Waves. They will be in conversation for around 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a Q&A.

Our Speakers:

CHRISTINE LEHNEN is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. She is a regular contributor on feminism, culture, history, archaeology and public memoryfor outlets such as Aeon, Psyche, The Wire, Antigone, New Lines, Magazine, and Deutsche Welle.

EMMA SIMPSON is a wild swimmer and writer specialising in narrative non-fiction. Having spent a couple of decades being distracted by a career as an air traffic controller and experiencing two life-wrenching events, she rediscovered her pen and passion for storytelling at the same time as discovering how transformational cold-water swimming was for hert health, wellbeing, and sense of connection with the world. She explores these themes in her compelling, moving book Breaking Waves.

Doors open at 6:45, event starts 7:00.

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