Wonders of the Roman Empire - Off Limits

Recent turmoil in much of the Near East and North Africa means that many of the most impressive sites in the Roman Empire can no longer be visited. Sam Moorhead was privileged to have been able to work and travel in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean which are now too dangerous to explore – in fact, he was in Syria in March 2011 when the civil war began.

This lecture will provide an outline of Roman activity in the region, focussing on cities which have been largely destroyed (for example Hatra in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria), sites which have been heavily looted (Apamaea and Dura Europus in Syria), and places which are now too dangerous to visit (Leptis Magna and Cyrene in Libya). Some of finest architecture, sculpture and mosaics from the Roman world will be presented, highlighting both the richness of eastern Roman culture and the lives of the people who lived in these exotic places. Fees for this lecture go directly to the British Museum.

How to book this event:

Book in on the day. Doors and café open from 10.00am. Visitors and new members welcome Cost £12 per lecture. Refundable if you join as a new member on the day.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Dr Sam Moorhead

Sam Moorhead is the National Finds Adviser for Iron Age and Roman coins in the Portable Antiquities and Treasure Section at the British Museum. Before joining the British Museum in 1997 as Staff Lecturer for Archaeology, he taught Classics and Archaeology; he is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. He has excavated widely in the Mediterranean and Britain, concentrating on the Roman and early Mediaeval periods. Serving on numerous councils, he has been Chairman of the Palestine Exploration Fund and Honorary Secretary of the Roman Society. He has lectured to numerous organisations in Britain, including learned, literary, historical and archaeological societies, and has been a Guest Lecturer on many cruises. Recently, he has written The Roman Empire and The Frome Hoard, and co-written AD 410 – The Year that Shook Rome (all British Museum Press), The Romans who shaped Britain (Thames and Hudson), 31 BC, Antony, Cleopatra and the Fall of Egypt (British Museum Press) and A History of Roman Coinage in Britain (Greenlight Publishing). He is currently rewriting the standard reference for the coinages of the emperors Carausius and Allectus and is involved in a fieldwork project in Devon.

Please contact via email in the first instance.