Womb of One''s Own - Lost Histories of Childbirth in Ancient Rome

A bold new history of women's health and midwifery, brought to life through ancient women's stories of pregnancy and birth.

In the well-trod history of the Roman Empire, a pivotal moment has long gone unnoticed: It was in ancient Rome that medical men first set their sights on childbirth, the traditional domain of female midwives.

Taking us to the dawn of Western obstetrics, A Womb of One's Own offers a feminist account of how, against a long tradition of midwifery, male doctors began claiming authority in reproductive matters, with an emphasis on theoretical rather than practical knowledge. Their intrusion paved the way for the later criminalization of midwives and the cloaking of childbirth in secrecy and shame.

Yet communities of Roman women continued to help each other through the journey from preconception to postpartum, guided by their own experience and the expertise of midwives. Tara Mulder recovers stories of ancient women living and resisting as they sought autonomy over their bodies and their health. Recounting their experiences in vivid, intimate detail, she reveals how old our modern conflicts around birth truly are.

About the author

Tara Mulder is Assistant Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As the daughter of a homebirth midwife, she has assisted in over two dozen births.

Product details

• Authors: Tara Mulder, Tara Lynn Mulder
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.04.2026
• EAN: 9780520398740
• ISBN: 978-0-520-39874-0
• No. of pages: 376
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; HEALTH & FITNESS / Pregnancy & Childbirth, HISTORY / Ancient / Rome, HEALTH & FITNESS / Women's Health, MEDICAL / History, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Feminism & Feminist Theory, HISTORY / Women, Women's health, Women’s health, Ancient Rome, Feminism & feminist theory, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Feminism and feminist theory