[2][3] Born in Auburn, Alabama, Lily Ross Taylor developed an interest in Roman studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning an A.B.

That same year, she served as president of the American Philological Association, and in 1947 as first female scientist she was named Sather Professor in the University of California.

From 1943 to 1944, during World War II, she was the principal social science analyst in the Office of Strategic Services.

[6] Retiring from Bryn Mawr in 1952, she remained active as professor-in-charge of the Classical School of the American Academy in Rome,[7] and as a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.

She trained numerous graduate students while at Bryn Mawr, notably Irene Rosenzweig (1931), Berthe Marti (1934), Agnes Kirsopp Lake Michels (1934), and Beryl Rawson (1961).