Dr Kathryn Welch

Biography

Dr Kathryn Welch has led study tours to Rome and the Bay of Naples since 1999. She has a strong interest in art, architecture, and music as well as the history of Rome from its beginnings until today. She is the co-director (with Dr Estelle Lazer) of the Pompeii Cast Project.

Kathryn holds a PhD in Roman History from the University of Queensland, a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Sydney and a Diploma of Languages (Latin) from the University of New England. She also holds a Diploma of Education (also USyd) and was a senior high school teacher before returning to study. She taught Roman (and Greek) history for 30 years at the University of Sydney in the Department of Classics and Ancient History until her retirement in 2021 and since then has continued to lecture on Roman History and related topics in academic and general forums.

Kathryn’s main field of research is the political and social history of Rome in the first century BCE – the era of Cicero, Julius Caesar, Pompey, and some very formidable and fascinating women, including Livia. For many years she also taught the history of the built city of Rome and the interplay between the history, invention and reinvention that produces the unique urban fabric of Rome.

Kathryn led her first tour in 1999 for the University of Sydney Centre for Continuing Education. She has been associated with Academy Travel since its inception, teaching students of all ages and levels in Rome and the Bay of Naples area and leading open age tours to Rome and southern Italy.