Seminar: Salvaging the Rural Landscape of Roman Arabia

DLK gave a seminar in the Dept of Archaeology at the University of Manchester on 22 September. The seminar was based in large part on the aerial photographs in the APAAME archive which provide marvelous insights into the character of ancient rural sites.

The occasion was an especially enjoyable one as it was almost exactly 43 years since he had enrolled as an undergraduate there and first encountered the superb articles on aerial archaeology in the early volumes of the journal Antiquity.

Works of the Old Men at British Institute, Amman

What a successful evening!

The last member of our team has arrived - we now number five with our fearless leaders David Kennedy and Robert (Bob) Bewley, assistants Mat Dalton and Rebecca Banks, and also our colleague and PhD candidate Don Boyer.

David begins his lecture at BIA, 7 April 2013.

Our evening was engagingly filled by a lecture hosted by the British Institute at Amman and conducted by David titled 'The Works of the Old Men', taken from Flight-Liutenant Maitland's 1927 Antiquity article of the same name. It is always fantastic to see friends' and colleagues' reactions to the photographs we take of the curious structures that span the Basalt Desert of the Harrat al-Shaam, knowing that we also are transfixed by them each time we fly.

Thank you to everyone that attended the evening and made it a huge success, not least to the British Institute, Amman - Carol, Firas, Nadja and staff who helped organise and run the evening, and for their continual support of the project. The supper put on afterwards was filling in both food and conversation.

Our first flight is tomorrow (Insha'Allah)! Look forward to sharing some photos with you.

Back in Amman

Laying out the equipment ready for action.

The first of the team is starting to roll into Amman and setting up at the fantastic British Institute. The weather is a bit of a shock - from 33 degrees Celsius in Perth to a comparatively chilling 19 in Amman when we landed.
Having only visited Amman in the late Autumn before, when the landscape is drying out, the change in colour palate at this time of year is quite obvious as soon as you drop beneath the clouds coming into land with the tracks of wadis striking green against sandy soil.
Visibility was not too clear for the landing unfortunately. I thumping westerly wind has stirred up quite a bit of dust, but there has been a few spots of rain that has helped settle things to a relatively clear afternoon. Here is hoping the weather improves for us quick smart.

David Kennedy will be presenting at the BI Amman on Sunday 7 April at 6pm - for more information please visit the BI Amman website: http://www.bi-amman.org.uk/lectures.html

Free Lecture: Roman Archaeology Group of Perth

Upcoming free lectures run by the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth:

2 Illustrated Lectures

Baths and Bathing in the Roman World

Dr. Sandra Ottley

2012 field trip to Jarash, Jordan
Don Boyer

Saturday 25 August

1:30pm

Social Sciences Lecture Theatre

University of Western Australia

1:30pm - Baths and Bathing in the Roman World
2:30pm - tea break ($7 for RAG Members $10 for non-members)
3:00pm - Annual General Meeting, Roman Archaeology Group of Perth, Inc.
3:30pm - 2012 field trip to Jarash, Jordan

Please let us know of your interest by emailing Norah Cooper (please see flier below).
Next lecture: Summer Lecture Series program coming soon!

To learn more about the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth please visit their webpage.

Roman Archaeology Group Free Lectures: 21 July

Upcoming free lectures run by the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth:

2 Illustrated Lectures

Palmyra: an ancient oasis between East and West

 Rebecca Banks

The Roman Peloponnese
Kevin O'Toole

Saturday 21 July

1:30pm

Social Sciences Lecture Theatre

University of Western Australia

1:30pm - Palmyra: an ancient oasis between East and West
2:30pm - tea break ($7 for RAG Members $10 for non-members)
3:00pm - The Roman Peloponnese

Please let us know of your interest by emailing Maire Gomes (please see flier below).
Next lecture: Saturday 25th August.

To learn more about the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth please visit their webpage.

Roman Archaeology Group Free Lecture

Want to learn about the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? please attend the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth's free lecture series

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
2nd session

2 Illustrated Lectures

Winthrop Professor David Kennedy

Saturday 25 February

1:30pm

Social Sciences Lecture Theatre

University of Western Australia

1:30pm - The Decline...
2:30pm - tea break ($7 for RAG Members $10 for non-members)
3:00pm - The Fall: Political and Military Explanations

Please let us know of you interest be emailing Maire Gomes.
Next lectures in the series: Saturday 24 March, 2012.

The Perth Writer's Festival will also be on campus that weekend so plan ahead with public transport or brave the limited on campus parking.

Roman Archaeology Group Free Lectures

If you are in Perth this weekend and want to learn about the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, please attend the Roman Archaeology Group of Perth's free lecture series

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

2 Illustrated Lectures

Winthrop Professor David Kennedy

Saturday 21 January

1:30pm

Social Sciences Lecture Theatre

University of Western Australia

1:30pm - 'Decline and Fall' - the theme for the summer series of lectures
2:30pm - tea break ($7 for RAG Members $10 for non-members)
3:00pm - The Indian Summer of the Roman Empire; the "boundless grandeur of the Roman peace" (Elder Pliny NH XXVII.3)

Please let us know of you interest be emailing Maire Gomes.
Next lectures in the series: Saturday 25 February and 24 March, 2012.