Having just celebrated this year’s International Women’s Day, I have been inspired to find out more about the women who are part of the history of Classics at Newcastle University. My research has led me to discover the remarkable Christina Keith, a pioneering female scholar in the field of Classics and beyond.

Christina Keith joined Armstrong College (the first incarnation of Newcastle University) as a lecturer in Classics in October 1914, making her one of the earliest female scholars in the department’s history. This was the first lectureship of Christina’s academic career, following on from several years of study in higher education. Although not the case nowadays, pursuing higher education was a rare and unusual choice for a woman in the early 20th century, and Classics in particular was a traditionally male subject. A brief survey of Christina’s time at university makes clear both her natural aptitude for academia and…