Drawing on archaeological, artistic, osteological, and textual evidence from Christian and Jewish communities in Syria, Britain, Italy, and North Africa, this conference will examine the geographical mobility of rural populations; children’s role in maintaining and transmitting identities; the public roles of women in religious communities; how rural women responded to disaster; and the ritual complexity of infant burial. With papers by Jonathan Conant (Brown University), Robin Fleming (Boston College), Campbell Grey (University of Pennsylvania), Susan Harvey (Brown University), Katie Hemer (University of Sheffield), and Hagith Sivan (University of Kansas).