The Roman Studies Group announces its bi-annual conference to be held at Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall, Ashtead on 6th May 2023. Whilst the speakers and timetable have yet to be confirmed we can announce the following:

Dr. John Pearce of King's College London, will give the keynote talk on 'The general character of the funerary world' which will include the Roman funerary process and aspects of its legal, spatial, cultural, socio-econmic context, and monuments raised over the dead.

Crofton Roman Villa, Crofton Rd, Orpington BR6 8AF

The latest season of excavations in the field adjacent to Cocks Farm Roman villa will take place 3rd July - 2nd August 2022.

Actual dates are as follows:  July 3-5, 8-12, 15-19, 25-26, 28- 2nd Aug 2022. 

If you are interested in taking part please contact us via romanstudiesgroup@btinternet.com

Priority will be given to RSG members and members of SyAS, but it is hoped to accommodate all those interested in taking part.

Cotswold Archaeology carried out excavations on the north side of Grange Road, Tongham between September and November 2020. This revealed a settlement enclosure and possible buildings dating to the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition, associated with an extensive series of rectilinear field boundaries.

Anne Sassin will be talking to us about a series of excavations at Old Park, Farnham. The site was first idetified by John Hampton in 1969 on aerial photography and geophysics revealed a number of likely Late Iron Age/Roman enclosure ditches. Anne wil enlighten us to what has been found during excavation of this rural site. Interim reports can be found at:

 https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/sites/default/files/SAS%20Bulletin%20482.pdf

Emma Corke, director of the Cocks Farm Abinger project will update us on the excavations that took place in 2021 in an area of Roman agricultural activity. You will find past interim reports from the site at https://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/content/excavations-at-cocks-farm-roman-villa-abinger-2009-present-interim-reports

A presentation by Lyn Spencer will provide a focus for a discussion on slavery in Roman Britain. Some of the questions that may arise include: evidence for slavery , how people became slaves and how they escaped slavery, differences in Iron Age and Roman slavery, roles allocated to slaves and how slavery was viewed in Roman society. Do come along with something to contribute to the discussion.