Blok was born on 9 June 1953 in
Oegstgeest. She attended the gymnasium and subsequently studied history at the
University of Groningen between 1971 and 1978. In October 1991, she obtained her PhD at
Leiden University under professor
H. S. Versnel, with a thesis titled: "Amazones antianeirai. Interpretaties van de Amazonenmythe in het mythologisch onderzoek van de 19e en 20e eeuw en in archaïsch Griekenland". In 2001, Blok was appointed professor of ancient history and Classical civilisation at Utrecht University. Blok was one of the scholars who was critical of the book
Black Athena by
Martin Bernal. Blok was elected a member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011. Blok retired in 2019. ==Highlighted Publications==