A Cultural History of Disability in Antiquity

Christian Laes is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester, UK and Professor of Ancient History and Latin at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He is the author of Children in the Roman Empire (2011), Disabilities and the Disabled in the Roman World (2018), and edited volumes in three of Bloomsbury’s Cultural Histories series: A Cultural History of Education in Antiquity, A Cultural History of Youth in Antiquity (with Ville Vuolanto) and a Cultural History of Disability in Antiquity. He is co-author, along with Johan Strubbe, of Youth in the Roman Empire (2014).

1. Introduction: How and Whether to Say 'Disability' in Ancient Greek and Latin, Christian Laes, University of Manchester, UK and the University of Antwerp, Belgium
2. Atypical Bodies: Extraordinary Body Treatment and Consideration, Caroline Husquin, University of Lille, France
3. Mobility Impairment: Identifying Lived Experiences in Roman Italy, Emma-Jayne Graham, Open University, UK
4. Chronic Pain and Illness: Pain and Meaning in Graeco-Roman Antiquity, Laurien Zurhake, Open University, UK
5. Blindness: Visual Impairments in Antiquity, Frederik Van den Abeele, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
6. Deafness: Sensory Impairment as Communication Disability, Past and Present, Ellen Adams, King’s College, London, UK
7. Speech: Lack of Language, Lack of Power: Social Aspects of the Discourse about Communication Disorders in the Graeco-Roman World, Peter Kruschwitz, University of Reading, UK
8. Learning Difficulties: Intellectual Disability (= ID) in the Ancient Near East (ANE), Classical and Late Antiquity, Edgar Kellenberger, University of Basel, Switzerland
9. Mental Health Issues: Theory and Practice in the Ancient World, Jerry Toner, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, UK