Women Who Went Before

Rebekah Haigh & Emily Chesley
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Women Who Went Before

Women Who Went Before is on a gynocentric quest into the ancient world. Join hosts Rebekah Haigh and Emily Chesley as they interview the world’s top scholars and unearth the lives of women from the past. It’s a history podcast and detective journey in one, sifting through texts and tropes to find the women who lived beneath. | Season 2 episodes every other Thursday!

  1. To Have and To Hold: Sexual Violence and the Bible

    MAR 27

    To Have and To Hold: Sexual Violence and the Bible

    CW: This episode discusses themes of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Dr. Rhiannon Graybill shares her research on sexual violence in the Hebrew Bible and ways of reading such messy stories for then and now. We also talk about violent tropes in modern romance literature and Rome's origin stories—and what these kinds of tales do to those who read them. She says, “In our world sexual violence is often grounded in or justified by the Bible, and the Bible is used against survivors of sexual violence. And so reading biblical stories as fuzzy, messy, and icky helps us dismantle our experiences of sexual violence and of rape culture.” Access transcript and episode show notes: https://www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/to-have-and-to-hold.  Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. The podcast's music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    58 min
  2. Bad Blood: The Period Talk in Rabbinic Judaism and Zoroastrianism

    MAR 6

    Bad Blood: The Period Talk in Rabbinic Judaism and Zoroastrianism

    We talk with Dr. Shai Secunda about the Babylonian rabbis’ science of blood, breaking taboos through sex education, and menstruation as a cure for rabies. Today, taboos about menstruation keep thousands of girls from attending school. For Jewish sages in late antique Persia, such beliefs led to laws that required women to stay away from their husbands during their periods and to wash at prescribed times. (Whether women followed these laws is another question!) Blood could pollute, yet it could also purify. And practices around menstruation may have helped religious communities define their identity.  Access transcript and episode show notes: www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/bad-blood Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Rebekah Haigh and Emily Chesley. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    57 min
  3. The Pee Test: Pregnancy and Childbirth in Ancient Egypt

    12/19/2024

    The Pee Test: Pregnancy and Childbirth in Ancient Egypt

    Dr. Ada Nifosì tells us about the gymnastics of ancient Egyptian birth, why Egyptian women ate donkey balls and their cats ate penis cakes,  and why the god Seth should be avoided at all costs. Childbirth was a scary time for women, and that desire for safety and comfort is reflected in their stories about their gods. The most important goddess, Isis, was enshrined in Egyptian mythology as giving birth in dangerous circumstances.  Women turned to amulets, charms, midwives and wise women, their families, for assurance. Access transcript and episode show notes: www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/the-pee-test Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. This episode was fact-checked by Emily G. Smith-Sangster. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    56 min
  4. Blemished Brides: Women’s Bodies and Disability in Ancient Judaism

    12/05/2024

    Blemished Brides: Women’s Bodies and Disability in Ancient Judaism

    Dr. Julia Watts Belser talks about ancient prenups, dancing at weddings, and what the rabbis had to say about beauty. We meet an Etruscan woman named Seianti Hanunia, an Egyptian Jewish woman Tapamet, and hear the (sometimes damaging) ideas of sages Shammai and Hillel. Paying attention to disability matters because it’s noticing a person’s full human experience. Access transcript and episode show notes: www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/blemished-brides Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    58 min
  5. Veiled But Not Hidden in Ancient Greece

    11/14/2024

    Veiled But Not Hidden in Ancient Greece

    Dr. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells us about the veil in ancient Greek culture. Many women in the distant past (as today) wore veils during their life. Veiling meant many things to many people. It could be a means of patriarchal control, a sensual turn on, or a practical choice in a hot climate.  From weddings to acts of piety and expressions of grief, veils "spoke." When she chose to reveal or not hide her hair, a Greek woman expressed something to the world. Access transcript and episode show notes: https://www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/veiled-but-not-hidden Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    58 min
  6. Virginity and the Hype About Hymens

    10/31/2024

    Virginity and the Hype About Hymens

    Dr. Julia Kelto Lillis asks, "To whom does a woman’s virginity belong?" Join her and your hosts as we dive into the world of early Christian purity culture, what wine has to do with the V-Card, and why the gods like to make babies with virgins. Like today, the concept of virginity was culturally significant in the ancient world. But unlike today, virginity as an act of devotion to God could propel a woman to the top of the social ladder.  This episode we explore shifting ideas about what makes someone a virgin and the importance of virginity to the early Christian movement.   Access transcript and episode show notes: https://www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/virginity-and-the-hype-about-hymens Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    59 min
  7. Wandering Wombs: Greco-Roman Gynecology and Women’s Health

    10/17/2024

    Wandering Wombs: Greco-Roman Gynecology and Women’s Health

    In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rebecca Flemming and talk about ancient gynecology, wandering wombs, and what agency, if any, women had over the healing of their bodies. How did medical writers in Greece and Rome describe a woman’s anatomy and its inner workings? And how did those beliefs influence the treatments they prescribed? Read transcript and episode show notes: https://www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/wandering-wombs Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. Podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    59 min
  8. Bodily Matters: The Lifecycle of an Ancient Woman

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Bodily Matters: The Lifecycle of an Ancient Woman

    In a time when society is thinking passionately about bodily rights and who gets to make decisions about women’s bodies, Season 2 turns to history. Women in the ancient world mattered, and so did their bodies—maybe learning about them can give us new questions as we face our own world.  In our season intro episode, meet an ancient high-priestess of Ur and the first known author in human history: Enheduanna. Climb Mount Sinai with the Christian pilgrim Egeria. These two women and the records they left behind offer a personal glimpse into embodied moments of religious experience. And they help us set the stage for the season ahead. Episode show notes: https://www.womenwhowentbefore.com/episodes/bodily-matters Women Who Went Before is written, produced, and edited by Emily Chesley and Rebekah Haigh. The podcast theme music is composed and produced by Moses Sun. Season 1 Episode 0 intro music is licensed from Krux Music Publishing Limited. This podcast is sponsored by the Center for Culture, Society, and Religion, the Program in Judaic Studies, the Stanley J. Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Committtee for the Study of Late Antiquity at Princeton University. Views expressed on the podcast are solely those of the individuals, and do not represent Princeton University.

    16 min
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About

Women Who Went Before is on a gynocentric quest into the ancient world. Join hosts Rebekah Haigh and Emily Chesley as they interview the world’s top scholars and unearth the lives of women from the past. It’s a history podcast and detective journey in one, sifting through texts and tropes to find the women who lived beneath. | Season 2 episodes every other Thursday!

Information

  • Creator
    Rebekah Haigh & Emily Chesley
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Rebekah Haigh & Emily Chesley
  • Show Website
    Women Who Went Before

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