Archaeological talks and lectures from an entertaining speaker in 2020.....

Some sample archaeological talks and lectures from a great speaker...

1. Maori and 'Celtic' hillforts - similarities and differences

The New Zealand Maori constructed hillforts and they are a prominent landscape feature, especially in the North Island of New Zealand. And hillforts were also a dominant feature of the pre-Roman landscape in Europe. There are some similarities but also significant differences. This talk compares and contrasts them, and in so doing makes each more distinctive and memorable. 

2. The Archaeology of Fishbourne Roman Palace and Chichester

This talk brings a fuller understanding of the relationship between Fishbourne Roman Palace - a unique building in Roman Britain - and the Roman town of Chichester. 

3. Roman Mosaics

Most people love Roman mosaics. They were popular in elite residences throughout the Empire. But most of them contain a hidden protective device - let me reveal it to you! (I have just submitted a book idea to The History Press on this topic. You will never look at mosaics in the same light again if they publish my theories!). 

4. The Archaeology of the South Downs National Park

I look at a sample of monuments in the Park, using a number of common themes. People in the past were often different than us, but sometimes also shared the same concerns as ourselves.  

5. Iron Age hillforts

The big hillforts are some of the most dramatic monuments in southern Britain. But what were they really used for? The debate still rages. 

6.​ The Iron Age - a social prehistory

The Iron Age lasted a long time - about 700 years. How did social groups organise themselves in southern Britain during these centuries? What were their beliefs? Did they really call themselves Celts? And how, towards the end of the period, did they react during their first contacts with the Roman world?   

7. The Roman Empire

This is a huge topic but I present the reasons for the success of the Empire, look at its eclectic mix of citizens, analyze the way it changed over time, and seek the causes of its decline. 

8. How Roman was Roman Britain?? 

Roman Britain must have seemed like the back of beyond to those at the centre of the Empire. How many people in Britain really adopted a Roman way of life, or was the 'Roman' in Britain always a very thin veneer?

9. AD 43 and the Roman Invasion of Britain

I look at the ambiguous evidence - both archaeological and historical - for the the site of the Roman landing in the invasion year of AD 43. Did the Romans land in Kent or Sussex? Still a hot topic of debate!

10. The Secrets of the High Woods

The High Woods project took place between 2103 and 2016, and covered the chalk downs between Petersfield in the west and Arundel in the east. Through a new aerial surveillance technique known as LiDAR, an amazing amount of new archaeology was found, which will alter our perceptions of the past forever. Discover what those secrets were!