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“The women of Leningrad came to replace their husbands who had gone to the front.”
“The women in ancient Rome used cosmetics.”
How would the meaning of these senesces change if they read:
“Women of Leningrad came to replace their husbands who had gone to the front.”
“Women in ancient Rome used cosmetics.”
In formal writing, one would probably write:
The women of Leningrad, those specific women at the time. [in comparison, to, say, the men, soldiers or children of the same city]. If you are presenting a picture of a place with all sorts of parts and details, I would use: The A of B.
Otherwise: Women of Leningrad have red hair. Women in Ancient Rome used cosmetics. Both fine.
The rule is more stylistic, not grammatical per se.
General statements: Women in the ancient world were generally good cooks. But the women of Athens were not. You have to "feel" it.
