Speaker: Kimiko Adler, PhD Student, NYU Classics
ISAW’s Expanding the Ancient World Workshop will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd 2025 at 5:30pm. This event is held virtually. Register for a link here.
Abstract:
“Expanding the Ancient World is a series of professional development workshops and online resources for teachers. Keyed to the NYC Department of Education Social Studies Scope and Sequence, this program is designed to offer K-12 educators opportunities to develop their knowledge of the ancient world and to provide classroom-ready strategies for teaching the past with reliable sources. Featuring inquiry-based workshops, flexible lesson plans, and up-to-date research, Expanding the Ancient World aims to equip teachers with information and skills that they can share with their students. CTLE credits will be offered to New York State teachers.
As the Roman Empire expanded into the Eastern Mediterranean, the city of Rome became a crossroads of new products, peoples, and religions. Much to the dismay of some Roman authors, the capital transformed into a multi-religious city, home to cults and communities from Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, Judaea-Palestina, and beyond. Within this diverse landscape, religious groups both preserved their traditions and adapted to life in Rome.
This workshop focuses on the 1st–4th centuries CE and examines three such communities: the cult of Isis, Judaism, and early Christianity. Through material culture—including the Temple of Isis and Serapis at the Campus Martius, the Jewish catacombs at Monteverde, and the Christian catacombs of Saint Sebastian—we will explore how these groups expressed their identities in both worship and funerary contexts. We will also consider how Roman visual culture shaped their practices, and how literary and epigraphic sources reflect their relationships with Roman society, authors, and emperors.
By comparing Egyptian religion, Judaism, and Christianity, we will investigate how minority religious groups navigated Roman rule, how they were perceived and managed by the imperial state, and how, in turn, they contributed to and reshaped the broader cultural and religious landscape of Imperial Rome.”