Kate is a historian of the ancient world working on understanding religion, gender, and the household in the Roman period, especially how these changed with the rise of Christianity. Her current research is on the role of story-telling in the early Christian household. Born in Washington, DC, Kate moved to the UK after undergraduate studies at Wesleyan University, and post-graduate studies at Harvard Divinity School and Princeton University.Kate's current teaching and research interest are centered on the relationship between academic history and historical storytelling, both in the ancient world (as a technique of religious mission) and in modern retellings (media such as historical fiction and film).Kate’s published writing explores the world of the Mediterranean in the Roman period, with a special interest in daily life and the family, religion, gender, and social identity, and the inter-connected problems of martyrdom, resistance movements, and religious violence. Kate is author of a number of books on these themes including THE VIRGIN AND THE BRIDE: IDEALIZED WOMANHOOD IN LATE ANTIQUITY (Harvard), BAND OF ANGELS: THE FORGOTTEN WORLD OF EARLY CHRISTIAN WOMEN (Overlook), and most recently QUEENS OF A FALLEN WORLD: THE FORGOTTEN WOMEN OF AUGUSTINE'S CONFESSIONS (Basic Books).