Anna Bonnell Freidin, U-M associate professor of history, talks about a class of largely hematite and red jasper amulets known as "uterine amulets," contextualizing them in the daily lives of Roman women. The university holds one of the most extensive collections of uterine amulets in the world, and a diverse selection are highlighted in the exhibit Materia Magica: Materiality and Ritual in the Greco-Roman World (https://events.umich.edu/event/142417).

Freidin's expertise centers around gender, daily life, and science and medicine in the Roman empire. Her 2024 monograph, "Birthing Romans: Childbearing and Its Risks in Imperial Rome," examines how pregnancy and childbirth were understood, experienced, and managed in ancient Rome during the first three centuries of the Common Era. Materiality and the multisensory are key features of her dynamic and innovative scholarship.