This event aims to edit or create Wikipedia pages for people who are of significance within the classical world or the classical tradition, but who have been overlooked on Wikipedia so far due to their gender, race, or any other marginalised identity.

“Less than 20% of the biographies on English language Wikipedia are about women,” while “research from 2022… found there were more Wikipedia entries about football and footballers than there were about women.” [Robyn Vinter, 2024, writing for The Guardian]. While figures on the representation of other historically under-represented groups are harder to come by, notably the representation of people of colour, Wikipedia itself acknowledges a racial bias on the site. Yet Wikipedia’s reach is enormous, with some 27 billion page views in the last month alone. For many, it is likely that Wikipedia is their primary source of information on the classical world and its tradition – an academic field that has, moreover, historically been almost exclusively focused on studying the thought and works of white men. So come and join us for an epic Wikipedia edit-a-thon to show that Classics is not all dead white men!

The event starts with a workshop on Friday on researching and writing for Wikipedia, followed by a drinks reception in the Cambridge Museum of Classical Archaeology. However, don’t worry if you can’t make the workshop – you’re still more than welcome to drop in to the edit-a-thon on Saturday, whether you can only come for half an hour or you want to stay all day. Food and snacks will be provided. The edit-a-thon is open to undergraduates, graduates, and faculty members from all subjects – no classical expertise necessary!

There’ll be the chance to work in groups or separately, to pick your own subject or to choose one from a list of suggestions.

Register your interest now to receive more information on the event – even if you can’t join us on the day, register to nominate subjects for the edit-a-thon.