Kelly Olson is a Canadian Classicist. She is

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

and Acting Chair in the Department of Classical Studies at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames Ri ...

. Olson earned her PhD from

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1999. Her thesis was entitled ''Fashioning the Female in Roman Antiquity''. She received a MA from University of Chicago in 1997 and from

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

in 1992, and her BA (with Honours) from

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...

in 1990. Olson has published extensively on clothing and appearance (including cosmetics, jewelry, and hairstyles) in Roman antiquity. Her scholarship has been described as the "standard resource" in ancient dress studies. Olson has been awarded several

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...

grants, including an Insight Development grant (2019–21) for her project, "Roman Jewelry and the Technology of Enchantment," and a Standard Research grant (2008-2011) for her project, "Men, Appearance, and Sexuality in Roman Antiquity." Olson is a highly visible public intellectual. She has discussed her scholarship in public lectures at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

and the

Getty Center The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overl ...

, as well as videos and podcasts. Olson has also served as a historical consultant for the comic book series, ''Eternus'', created by

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...

and

Andrew Levitas Social Impact Artist Andrew Levitas (born September 4, 1977) is an American painter, sculptor, filmmaker, writer, producer, photographer, and restaurateur. Early life Levitas was born in New York City. He attended Horace Mann School and then D ...

Select bibliography

* ''Dress and the Roman Woman: Self-Presentation and Society'' (London and New York: Routledge, 2008). * ''Masculinity and Dress in Roman Antiquity'' (London and New York: Routledge, 2017). * ''Dress in Mediterranean Antiquity: Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians'' (London: T&T Clark, 2021).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Kelly Canadian women academics Women classical scholars University of Chicago alumni University of Calgary alumni University of Victoria alumni Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario Living people Year of birth missing (living people)