Black Friday? Cyber Monday? Wind back 2000 years to Ancient Rome

Campus Martius Rome, AD 300 (reconstruction)

Shopping is a national obsession in many countries and December is the peak of the frenzy. In a way it’s a sign of the relative wealth of 21st century people, but in another it plays to the instincts of acquisition and somewhere in the lizard brain, survival. […]

Going Roman in Eboracum 2023

The Roman authors! Left to right: Nancy Jardine, Graham Sumner, Jacquie Rogers, Simon Elliot, Jason Monaghan, LJ Trafford, Alison Morton Ruth Downie, Kate Cunningham, Simon(SJA) Turney (Photo courtesy of Tracey Turney)

What a fantastic weekend! Despite the rain on the Saturday, the atmosphere among the authors and reenactors was warm at the Eborcum […]

Is it just a load of old stones and pots?

Why do I insist on clambering over old stones, foundations, really, of buildings dating back 2,000 years? Or paving slabs, funny concrete, remnants of wall paintings or bits of mosaic? And looking at broken bits of pottery and metalwork? And sometimes staring at beautiful whole glass and marble creations that I can’t possibly understand how […]