Poppy Moulis

Research interests: Gender Studies; Sensory Archaeology; Cognitive Approaches; Religion; Magic; Vase Painting; Emotion and Affect; Iconography

Thesis title (provisional): Towards a Sensory Archaeology of Women's Touch in the Ancient Greek World

I am a DPhil student in Classical Archaeology, specifically focussing on the archaeology of women's touch in Greece during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Women's touch was fundamental to Ancient Greek society in their role as producers of, and carers for, legitimate offspring; however, little emphasis has been placed upon understanding their tactile engagements within the society they helped to shape. Drawing upon aspects of sensory and cognitive archaeology, phenomenology and anthropology, I seek to explore women's haptic and emotional interactions. I will examine how such interactions constituted and reinforced notions of identity and the self, as well as a wider sense of cultural and social belonging.