2025 Chancellor's Research Speaker Series - Dr. Conor Whately

Wed. Jan. 21, 2026

Dr. Conor Whately delivered his Chancellor's Research Speaker Series presentation, "Please send socks": An Introduction to Roman Soldiers' Letters from the Frontiers, on December 9, 2025.

Dr. Whately is a professor of Classics here at the University of Winnipeg, where he has taught since 2009. Whately has published on war, historiography, and frontiers in the Roman and Byzantine worlds. He is the author of dozens of book chapters and journal articles, and the author or editor/co-editor of ten books, including the forthcoming Ancient Warfare: the Basics (Routledge 2026).

With an established international reputation in his field of Late Antique and Byzantine history, this three-year term as Chancellor’s Research Excellence Chair will aid Dr. Whately’s quest for The Inner and Public Lives of Roman Soldiers project. The letters, written on papyrus or wood, will help us understand the psychology of ancient and early medieval Roman soldiers, filling a gap in ancient military history that usually focused on elite officers, or generals.

Dr. Whately was awarded the Chancellor's Research Excellence Chair in 2025.

To learn more about Dr. Whately's award, read the full UW news article