Dr Katherine Backler

Profile

I’m a social historian of the ancient Greek world, specialising in the Archaic and Classical periods (c. 8^th – 4^th c. BC).

After reading Literae Humaniores (Classics) at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (2012-16), I was awarded an Examination Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford (2016-22), where I completed my doctorate and served as Departmental Lecturer in Ancient History (2021-2). I was then the Career Development Fellow in Ancient History at Trinity College, Oxford (2022-5) before joining the University of Leeds as a Lecturer in Ancient History at the start of 2026.

Research interests

My research investigates how ancient Greeks described themselves, their experiences, and their relationships, and then I work ‘outwards’ to find out what that might tell us about wider cultural phenomena and social structures. I’m particularly interested in how we can access the perspectives and experiences of ancient women and people from other marginalised groups, and especially how those people articulated their own perspectives. I also work on the political culture of classical Athens and how it managed tensions between different social and political values. I work with various kinds of evidence, but most of all with inscriptions, oratory, and comedy.

My first book, Athena’s Sisters: Reclaiming the Women of Classical Athens, was published in 2026 by Cambridge University Press. I’ve collaborated with translator Martin Hammond on the forthcoming Oxford World’s Classics edition of the Attic speechwriter Lysias. I’ve written several pieces on social history through the Attic orators, including an article on what a recently discovered parchment fragment tells us about sisterhood and slavery in Classical Athens; a forthcoming chapter on how the Athenians coped with their traumatic memories of the late-fifth-century BC oligarchic revolutions; and a forthcoming chapter on ‘therapeutic speech’ in the early Hellenistic period.

Alongside my research and teaching, I speak to schools and community groups, appear on podcasts (Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby; Classical Wisdom Speaks; Ancient History), and write about the ancient world in magazines (Ancient History, Omnibus, The Tablet).

Qualifications

• DPhil, Ancient History (2021)
• MA (Oxon), Literae Humaniores (2016)

Professional memberships

• Women's Classical Committee UK

Student education

I teach a range of modules across the Classics and Ancient History programmes, with a focus on ancient history, Greek literature, and Greek language.

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>